Sword Art Online: Rise of the Phoenix
by 13TheAce
Summary: Daniel Fenikkusu is a beta-tester and among the 10,000 players with copies to the highly anticipated Sword Art Online. However, on 11/6/2022, the offical launch, they all discover that they cannot log out. Trapped inside the game, Daniel and his friends Kirito, Klein, and countless others must work together and make it out of Sword Art Online alive.
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone! Here's to an early Christmas! Time for a new story! Hope you enjoy!

"This is talking." _This is thoughts._

I only know my OC, whom you will meet in a little bit.

Sword Art Online: Rise of the Phoenix

Chapter 1: First Steps

* * *

Video games have become a major part of today's world. They have always been able to rapidly change; from simple pixels to HD, three dimensional worlds and characters. Now, in the year 2022, video games have reached a new height. Thanks to the genius of the graphic designer and my hero, Akihiko Kayaba, people can enjoy video games in a new way: the Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, or VRMMORPG. Kayaba developed this new system with the introduction of the Nerve Gear, a special helmet designed to create a virtual world of a video game. And on November 6, 2022, the first VRMMORPG was about to be released by the internationally acclaimed Argus: Sword Art Online, commonly known as SAO.

My name is Daniel Fenikkusu. My dad is American, my mom is Japanese, and I have a fraternal twin sister, Hana. We lived in the United States until I was 13, which was in 2019, and then we moved to Tokyo. 6 months before the launch, I was luck in being selected as one of only a thousand beta testers for SAO. There, I had met a guy who quickly became a good friend. We, along with some of the better testers, made it to the eighth out of the hundred floors.

Now, it's November 6th, and as a beta tester, I was able to get the full version of the game before it was released, which came in handy since there were only ten thousand copies made. At 10:23, I turned on my Nerve Gear and got ready to start the game.

"Start." I could see the multiple beams of colored lights rush past me as the Nerve Gear was activated and launched me into the game. I was able to access my beta data, and after that, I was in the SAO's world: Aincrad.

Everyone starts at the same place, the Town of Beginnings. Already, the town was flooding with players. I was able to recognize some of the layout of the town: the marketplace off to the left, a nice restaurant to the right, and a massive water fountain and the teleportation portal in the center.

I walked up to the water fountain and gazed at the appearance of my avatar. SAO's customization process was top of the notch. My avatar featured longer red hair, red eyes, and a tall, muscular build.

As I looked around, I noticed a character with long black hair run towards the marketplace and recognized him. I sprinted after him and caught up to him in an alley.

"Hey Kirito-kun. Long time no see." He turned around and smiled.

"Daniel-kun. It's nice to meet you again." Kirito's avatar had a rather simplistic style: longer black hair, black eyes, and a light build. I noticed the sword on his back, which always confused me. Although swords were the most weapon in the beta, everyone always used a shield, including myself. Kirito only used the sword, which made him unique in his own right.

"Alright, ready to find the best hunting spots?" I asked him.

"You know it. Let's go."

"Wait!" We turn around and see a guy with maroon hair and a red bandana. He took a moment to catch his breath. "Ya'll two are beta testers, right? You both seem to know the layout of the town."

"Yeah." I respond first.

"This is my first day. Would you mind showing me the ins and outs of the basics?" I looked over at Kirito and motion him to respond.

"Well…" He almost responded, until the guy bowed his head and clapped his hands together.

"Please! I'm begging!" _Crap. Why does he have to beg like this? This is my weakness, people who beg for help._ Then he tilts his head back and smiles. "The name's Klein. Nice to meet you."

Kirito sighs and then smiles. "I'm Kirito."

"Daniel. We'll help you out." Klein looked at me puzzled.

"That your real name?"

I laugh. "Yes." I can see why he asked. Though there are a few, not many use their real names in games. I thought I would try something new, especially since I am in a world where I could actually be a part of

"Cool. Ready to go?" Klein runs down the alley.

"The exit is this way." Kirito and I shout back at him. He does a sharp u-turn and follows us out of the Town of Beginnings to the West Field.

* * *

"GAAAH!" Klein flies back and grabs down to the family jewels. Unforunately, he missed his chance to finish off a boar that Kirito had weakened and I had redirected towards him. We both sigh at him.

"Critial hit to the crotch," he groans as he rolls around in the grass.

"Come on, Klein. This is virtual reality, which means…" I start.

"…You don't feel any pain in this world. Right?" Kirito finishes.

Klein stops rolling in the grass. "Oh, right." He rolls onto his back and jumps in the air so that he can land on his feet.

I look at him, and notice that his health meter had dipped into the yellow range, meaning his health had dropped to at least 50%. "You still aren't executing the initial motion input correctly. Without that, you can't land a blow on an enemy," I say to him.

"I get that, but the thing keeps on moving." We all look at the boar, which had turned its back to us and started to eat some grass. Kirito picks up a rock and gets ready to throw it at the boar.

"Well, if you do the motion input correctly, and then combine it with a sword skill, the system will ensure a connection." The rock in Kirito's hand began to glow, due to the motion input. He threw it at the boar, which left a red mark on the boar's butt. Also, it serves as an excellent attention grabber.

"Motion input…motion input." I heard Klein whisper. The boar charged, and that's where I came in. I equipped my shield and blocked the boar.

"It's kind of like an explosion. Add a slight pause, then when you feel the technique activate, let it explode."

"Explode?" Klein, apparently started to understand it, shifted his feet and moved his knife so that he could slash down. When I saw the yellow glow, I knew that he was ready. I rapidly moved my shield upward and kicked the boar's back, causing it to rush at Klein. Klein lunged forward and thrust the dagger along the boar's side. The red digital gash stretched from the boar's neck to its tail, and after a few seconds, the boar exploded into digital fragments as the exp and col (money) was displayed.

Klein acted like he had just defeated the game. "Alright!" He threw a double fist in the air.

"Way to go." "Nice job." Kirito and I say as we high five Klein.

"However, those boars are really weak." Kirito says.

I nod. "Yeah, their equivalent to slimes in others RPGs."

"What?! I thought it was a midlevel boss." Klein said shockingly.

_Seriously?_ I think to myself as I start laughing. "No way, man. Look." I point to a nearby ridge, as a few more boar were randomly generated.

Klein brought out his knife and started to do some practice thrusts and slashes. "I heard there were a lot of skills. Like blacksmithing and cooking?"

"Yeah. I've heard that there are an unlimited number of skills." Kirito replied.

"However, there is no magic in the game." I add.

"An RPG without magic? That's a crazy decision." Klein remarked.

"I don't think it's necessary, with how effective the combat system is anyway." I tell Klein.

"Also, it feels excellent to actually move your own body for combat," Kirito says as him and I take out our swords.

"Ready to go?" I asked. Kirito and Klein nod at him as we ran towards the boar.

Several hours later, after good grinding of exp and col for Klein, we all rested and started at the sunset.

"I still can't believe that, no matter how many times I look at this, we are just in a game. Whoever made it is brilliant. This is truly amazing. I'm so glad to be born in this time." Klein says.

"You make a big deal out of everything." Kirito says.

"But it's not necessarily a bad thing. Just goes to show some of the enthusiasm he has." I counter. Kirito shrugs as Klein gives him an annoyed look.

"It's my first full dive!"

I look at him. "Sword Art Online is your first time playing with the NerveGear?"

"I rushed out and bought the hardware just to play SAO. I got lucky, getting one of only ten thousand copies. But, both of y'all are ten times luckier. I mean, both of you were beta testers. Only a thousand were able to get in." Kirito rubs his head as I smile.

"We just got lucky." I reply.

"How far did you make it in the beta?"

"Over a couple of months, just to Floor 8." Kirito responded.

"However, we can do it in a month this time around." I include with a big grin.

"You two are really into this aren't you?" He asked us.

"Of course. This is an incredible game. I stoked to beat it." I say.

Kirito pulls out his sword as he says, "During the beta test, the only thing I thought of day and night was SAO. With one sword, you can go anywhere. This is a virtual world, but I still feel more alive in here than in the real world." This concerned me. _I'd be careful, Kirito. Those who aren't connected to the real world are likely to lose sight on what the real world is._

I had been sitting down, so I jumped up onto my feet. "Ready to go get some more bacon?"

Klein turned around. "Heck yeah, but…" Then I heard his stomach growl. "…I'm starting to get hungry. I'm going to log out."

I sigh. "You know, if you eat the food here, it only makes you think you're not hungry."

Klein hopped up to his feet. "That's why I already ordered a pizza for 5:30!"

"So prepared," observed Kirito. I laugh.

"Anyway, I'll be back after I finish eating."

"Alright, I guess we'll see you later." I look over at Kirito to make sure he would be here. He just nodded his head.

"Oh yeah, I going to meet some buddies from another game. You can friend them if you would like." Klein looked at us with anticipation.

"Sure. I'm game." I reply.

"Ummm…" Kirito just seemed confused, or maybe he is just not as social.

"You alright?" I asked. He just shrugs.

"Hey, if you don't want to meet them, that's fine. Maybe another time?"

"Yeah, sorry. Thanks." _Kirito, what's going on in that head of yours?_

"Hey, that's my line! I'll pay you back later." Klein walked over and put a hand on one of our shoulders. "Mentally," he adds with a wink.

"I'll be looking forward to it." I throw a wink back.

"Honestly, thanks again, both of you." Klein turns and walks a few steps away, then swipes his hand down to open his menu. Kirito and I turn to walk away, thinking that everything was fine.

"Huh? Where's the log off button?" We both turn back and see Klein starting at his menu in confusion.

"Are you sure you just didn't miss it? Check again." I tell him.

"…No, it's not here, man."

Kirito starts to walk towards him. "At the bottom of the main menu…" He opens the menu and looks for it. Then he gasps when he apparently couldn't find it.

"See? There's nothing there." Klein pushes a few more buttons and then pauses. I swipe my hand down, just to triple check behind them. _Under the Settings, and…Oh my gosh._ Where the log out should have been, there was just a blank button. _What's going on?_

"Klein, call a Game Master. Maybe it's just a flaw in the program. It is the first day out of the beta tests." I command.

"I did, but no one is responding. I bet the server people are freaking out." Klein responds.

"You will be too, in a second." Kirito chimes in. "It's 5:25." Klein looks at him confused then suddenly realized.

"MY TERIYAKI MAYO PIZZA AND GINGER ALE!" He throws both of his hands on his head.

"Teriyaki Mayo Pizza and Ginger Ale? What is this, Fear Factor night at your place?" Klein ignores what I said and grabs my shoulder.

"Is there another way to log out?!"

"Unforunately, no. There's no emergency log out. You had to go through the menu," Kirito says.

"Come on!" Klein backs up a little."There has to be another way!" Then, he starts to do random poses as he yells, "Return! Log out! Escape!" But it yield no result, besides making him look like an idiot.

"There is only one in-game log out for the game, Klein. That won't help."

"I know! I'll just rip off my NerveGear!" He tries to remove an imaginary NerveGear off his head.

"Your body doesn't move while you are in the game. The NerveGear is designed to intercept any nerve communication from our brain to the rest of body. As a result, it copies that communication to our virtual body." I explain.

"Are you serious?" Klein was really starting to freak out. "So we have to just sit here until the bug is fixed?"

"Or someone on the outside removes the NerveGear for us." Kirito throws in. I nod in agreement.

"But I live alone. How about you two?"

"I have a mom, dad, and a twin sister."

"I live with my mom and a little sister. They'll probably notice something is wrong by dinnertime." Kirito seems deep in thought when Klein suddenly grabs him, shocking Kirito and myself.

"H-How old is your little sister?" _Seriously?! We are in a crisis and you're asking about his sister?!_

Kirito backs up as he trys to collect his words. "She's on a sports team, and she hates video games. She doesn't want anything to do with people like us."

"That doesn't ma—" He never had the chance to finish, because Kirito knees him in the crotch.

"Ouch! That hur- Oh, wait. Virtual reality, no pain." Klein then turns to me. "So Daniel…"

"Ask, and I cut off your arm." He quickly stops.

"Wait a minute, doesn't this situation him off?" Kirito asks.

"Well, not really. Bugs do happen," Klein answers.

"I don't think so, Klein. This is a major setback to the game's future if the players can't log off." I respond.

"That's true, I guess."

"Either way, if the system managers had noticed this, they could turn off the server and log out everyone that way. But, there hasn't been a single announcement about that, which means…" Kirito is cut off when we hear a bell coming from the Town of Beginnings. Suddenly, we are all teleported to the center of the Town of Beginnings. We look around and see other players either already there or being teleported.

"An emergency teleport? I know there are teleport crystals, but why did the system do this?" I ask.

Before they could respond, I hear someone yell, "Hey! Up there!" We look, and there is a single flashing "Warning" sign in the sky above the town.

"Wait, that's…" Kirito says. Then, the sky is filled with either "System Announcement" or "Warning" signs. From the signs, red goo begins to seep out. The goo begins to concentrate into a single spot until a large human figure in a red robe appears. I hear people muttering stuff like "A game master?" "Is this an event?" "Surely this is just another part of the opening ceremony."

"Attention, players. Welcome to my world." The robed figure starts speaking. His voice is relatively calm, given the circumstances.

"His world? Wait that means that he's…" I start to say, but I'm cut off as the figure resumes.

"I am Akihiko Kayaba. Right now, I am the only person who can control this world."

_No. This has got to be some sick joke._ I could hear people muttering around me about the figure actually being Kayaba. The figure, who claimed to be my hero, continued.

"I am sure that all of you have noticed that the logout button has been removed from the main menu." He pulls up his menu to make his point. "I assure you that this is not a bug in the system. I repeat, this is not a bug. This is one of the features of Sword Art Online."

I could feel myself get angry. My hero, Akihiko Kayaba, has now made this game a prison to all of us. _Why, you pig?!_

"A-A feature?" I heard Klein just mutter, out of shock. I could hear other people starting to freak out because of this news.

Kayaba just continued like it was nothing. "You cannot log out on your own, nor can anyone in the outside world can power down or remove the NerveGear. If anyone were to attempt to remove or shut down the NerveGear, it would act like a powerful microwave, and fry the wearer's brain, ending their life."

This was where things were starting to get out of contol. I heard someone yell, "This is crazy! I going." Then, a few seconds later. "H-Hey! I can't get out! We're trapped!" Panic slowly began to set in. It was at a very precarious point. All it needed was just a feather to send it spiraling out of control.

Klein finally got my attention. "What is this guy babbling about? He's just off his rocker, right? Kirito…Daniel?"

Kirito started first. "It's true that the NerveGear's transmitter working the same way a microwave does."

I finished. "My mom works with Argus, and she showed me the result if the safety was disabled. Anyone wearing that helmet without the safety, they would be six feet under."

Klein started to realize the magnitude. "But if we unplug it –" I stopped him.

"There's an internal battery, which can last up to a week. After that…" _I don't want to finish explaining myself._

"Unfortunately, several players' families and friends have ignored this warning, and attempted to remove the NerveGear." Images that looked like they were off news networks were swirling around Kayaba. "As a result, a total of 213 players are gone, forever. Both from the world of Aincrad and the real world."

"Two hundred and thirteen?" Kirito said.

"I don't believe, I don't believe it!" Klein added. I just stood there.

"Many news organizations around the world have picked up this story. This includes the death tolls. This will now ensure that the idea of the removal of your NerveGear is very minimal. I hope you all will relax and attempt to finish the game." I was utterly shocked. _What if someone in my family had removed my NerveGear, believing that it was just a simple bug?_ Then that shock turned into anger. Akihiko Kayaba, my hero, a man whom I had met and had been told by him I had promise, now had the blood of two hundred and thirteen people on his hands. And he had the audacity to act as if they had just been something that could be thrown away. He is no longer my hero. He is now…my enemy.

Kayaba continued. "It is imperative that you remember this. There is no longer a revival method within the game. If your health bar drops to zero, your avatar will be lost to both worlds forever. Because the moment your health reaches zero, the NerveGear will destroy your brain."

I was really pissed now. He is forcing us to find a way not to die…to find a means of survival. If we don't, we die. Plain and simple to him.

"There is only one way to escape. You must complete Sword Art Online. You all are on Floor 1, the lowest floor of Aincrad. If you can find and defeat the Floor Boss, you can move on to the next level. Continue to do this all the way to the hundredth floor, then you would have cleared the final hurdle."

People go nervous and panic rose up again. "What do you mean clear it?" "Is he serious?" "You're insane!"

Klein couldn't believe it. "Clear a hundred floors? That's impossible. The beta testers never made it anywhere near that!" Kirito and I looked at each other, and we both recognized the rage in both of our eyes. Anger at Akihiko Kayaba's actions, and anger at the fact that we were possibly the two best beta testers of SAO, and we only made it to the eighth floor.

"Oh, one finally thing." Everyone turned their attention back to Akihiko. "I've added a present in each of your storage, from me. Why don't you just see for yourselves?"

I opened up the menu and looked in my storage, and there was only one item under "Key Items": Mirror."

"A mirror?" I brought the mirror out and stared at it for a second. Suddenly, I saw Klein being engulfed in blue flames. "Klein!" More people, including Kirito, were being engulfed. "Kirito!" Then, it was my turn. I closed my eyes due to the brightness of the flames. The flames cleared out after a few seconds.

"Kirito, Daniel, are y'all alright." I heard Klein's voice. Then I turned to him and I was shocked.

"Who are you?" Then I looked over to Kirito, and then jumped a little. "Who on earth are you?!" Everything about their physical appearances has been completely changed. Kirito's face looked almost like that of a teenage girl; he had short black hair, black eyes, and almost no masculinity in his face. To top it all off, he was a lot shorter than his avatar. Maybe he was fourteen years old. Though Kirito's change was completely unexpected, I was ok with it. It was a lot better than Klein's changes. Klein's face definitely lost the cool factor: messy, short maroon hair, and short goatee. He looked like a Japanese Shaggy.

"And who are you?" They asked in complete sync. I looked in my mirror and lost my balance out of pure shock. The avatar I had created was not the face I was looking at, I was looking at my own face in the mirror. I had, for a guy, long black hair that reached down to my neck, red eyes (genetic mutation), and a typical American teenager's face. Also, I had a scar on my right cheek, from a kendo accident two years ago. _Why am I me and not my avatar anymore?_ I could hear people realize that the people around them were not the same as their avatars. _Wait, does that mean that_?

"You're Kirito?" "You're Daniel" "You're Klein?" Me, Klein, and Kirito asked simultaneously.

"But, how?" Klein asked.

"The NerveGear uses a scan over your entire head," Kirito began.

"It uses a high frequency signaling device, enabling the equipment to see what our faces look like and how long our head is. But that does not mean that the NerveGear knows our height or body shape," I finished for Kirito.

Now it was time for Klein to explain something. "We had to calibrate the NerveGear the first time we used it right? We had to touch all over our body."

"Right! I forgot about the calibration procedure on the NerveGear. That's where the data on our height and body shape came from." Kirito nodded in agreement.

"But…Why? Why the h- would anyone do this?" Kirito and I just pointed at Kayaba.

"Knowing him, he's about to explain himself," I respond.

"Now, all of you are probably wondering why I have done this. Why would Akihiko Kayaba, the developer of the NerveGear and Sword Art Online, go to such dramatic measures? I have already completed my goal. There is only one reason why I created Sword Art Online…to create a world that I can play with. And now, it is finished." I balled my fists as I could feel the anger just grow inside me, anger that is directed at Akhiko Kayaba. "This now ends the tutorial for the official Sword Art Online launch. I wish all of you the best of luck." Kayaba's figure began to become pixilated and red smoke began to slowly poor out as he disappeared. After Kayaba had completely vanished, the sky returned to the normal sunset sky it had been.

_That man, the inventor of the NerveGear and Sword Art Online, my hero, Akihiko Kayaba. I have met with him and even worked on a small project with him. Everything he just said was absolutely true. So this is what the situation he has left us in? Trapped in a video game, only one life. A hundred floors where the monsters can only grow stronger and stronger. A world where one step can mean the difference between living and dying. One false step means that a person no longer exists, neither in Aincrad nor the real world._

At first, it was really quiet. No one knew what to do at first. I heard a girl scream, then the chaos erupted. "Screw you!" Let me out! Let me outta here!" "I have to go to a meeting after this!" "Someone do something!" That's where Kirito stepped behind Klein and grabbed the back of his clothes.

"Follow me, Klein." Klein couldn't react fast enough before Kirito dragged him away.

"I'm right behind you, Kirito," I told him as I followed. We made it to the alleyway we had met in earlier before Kirito spoke again.

"Listen to me, both of you. I'm heading to the next town right now. I would like both of you to go with me. If everything Kayaba said is true, the only means to survive in this world is to grow as strong as possible." He pulls up a map as I say a few things.

"Everything Kayaba said is true," I hold up my hand to stop Klein from arguing, then I continue. "I met with on several occasions. I know he's telling the truth. And because of that, I know that the fields around this town will be bare soon. All because the resources within the VRMMORPG are limited, including money and EXP."

"Our best shot is to do this efficiently is tomove on to the next town right now. Daniel and I know all the best paths and where the dangerous areas are. Even though we are at level 1, we should be able to get there with ease. That is, if both of you come."

"Kirito, I can tell you know all that Kayaba said is true. We both were beta-testers. We started this together…" I stuck out my hand, "…so let us finish this together." He smiled and clasped my hand. After a good, firm shake, we both looked at Klein.

"Well, you know, I spent an entire night in line just to buy this game with my friends from the other game. And they are all out in somewhere in that plaza. I can't just leave them here."

I smile. "There is no one whom I would respect more than someone would stay with their friends. Why don't we bring them with us? That should be fine, right, Kirito?" Kirito just stood there, deep in thought. After a few seconds, I realized what he was most likely thinking. _Kirito, you can't be thinking of leaving Klein's friends high and dry, can you? _Before Kirito could say anything, Klein did something he was not expecting.

"Sorry, how could I have thought to ask both of you to do anything else? Both of you, go on to the next village." Though Kirito was shocked, I wasn't. I knew after hearing him mention his friends multiple times that he wouldn't leave them. That made him a good guy, a man I could trust at anytime.

Kirito seem unsure, so Klein kept on talking. "I used to run a guild in one of my last games. I got enough information from the both of you to make it by!"

"All right, then let's say goodbye here." Kirito turned to walk. I grabbed the back of his hair to stop him. "OUCH!"

"No, you idiot. This isn't goodbye. We need to say 'See you later.'" Kirito turned around, and after seeing my face, agreed instantly. "Anyway, shoot us a message if something happens, Klein." I smile, knowing we would, in fact, see him later.

"Will do!" Klein grinned and threw up a thumbs up. _Japanese Shaggy, indeed._

"See you later." Kirito and I say as we turn to leave.

"Oh yeah, Kirito, you actually looked pretty cute. That was my favorite. And Daniel, you definitely look better with that scar." We both look at Klein, then each other and nod.

"And that unkempt face of yours definitely suits you ten times better than your avatar's!" We smile as we both run off, determined to beat this game.

We had made it out of town, and we both made an oath. It kept playing over and over in my mind. Two wolves appeared along the path and charged at us. We drew our swords; Kirito ready to thrust and I ready to slash. After a few seconds, the wolves disappeared into pixels. This affirmed the oath that we both had made.

_I am going to survive, in this world, to make it back to the other. I will defeat this game, no matter the cost._

* * *

I hope you all enjoy the new story! I would like to have more reviews, so I will start responding to the reviews for all of my stories. So please read and review! See you next time!


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everyone! The New Year is now upon! So, happy 2013! Time for some review responds!

Uub: Thanks!

Huejaded965: Thanks. SAO is such a great series.

Now, Huejaded965 asked a good question, which leads to this one: How will Daniel get a girlfriend? I had been thinking of it, but I don't know exactly how do to it. So…time for a poll! Will I be incorporating an existing character, or an OC? This will be on my profile. Now, time to get the show on the road!

Chapter 2: The First Boss

* * *

Kirito and I had managed to make it to the second time with minimal trouble. We weren't the only ones. Other players asked us for help, but Kirito and I did not share the same opinion. Kirito wanted to keep on moving, but I could not ignore their call. I had told him, "It's not just us. I wanted to save as many people as I could. We are all trapped, and since we have experience, we need to help." Kirito refused to help, so we split ways. On my way to the final town on the first floor, I would always provide assistance to anyone who asked. They usually were skeptical at when I told them I was a beta tester, but I provided necessary knowledge and skills to help them out, so they soon trusted me. They requested anything, from basic training to help on quest. My conditions were simple: whoever defeated an enemy reaped the benefits, quest rewards would be shared, and no other form of payment would be necessary.

Thankfully, helping people proved to be beneficial. I met up with a group led by a guy named Diabel. His group wanted to keep on moving to find the boss, and I could see why. I couldn't find it, and I was a beta tester. I kept on moving with them, and we helped out anyone who asked.

It had been a month. Two thousand players had unfortunately lost their lives to this game. On December 2, Diabel, myself, and others in our party had news for other players who had made it to the final village. We had called a meeting at the town's outside amphitheater to discuss the implications of our news.

"Is everyone here? *pause* Then let's get this meeting started." I motioned to Diabel to give the opening comments.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Diabel. I like to consider my "job" as Knight." I slammed his fist into his chest to express confidence. I slammed my hand into my forehead to express embarrassment. With blue eyes and longer blue hair, I could see how Diabel could have been knight in another game. But given the circumstances, now was not the time to joke.

The people in the stands shared my opinions. "SAO has no job system!" "Is this meeting a joke?" "Stop screwing around!"

I decided to try to save Diabel from more annoyance from the other players. "My name is Daniel. My job is to hold Diabel here in check." I shot Diabel a glare before I continued. "As a beta tester, I was disappointed with my inability to find the first floor boss, even with prior experience." This sent off a clamor of whispering among the other players. I had to calm them before continuing. "However, I am proud to announce that we have been able to find the boss."

This caused everyone to grow silent. Diabel continued where I left off. "We found the boss at the top of the tower. We need to defeat the boss and show everyone waiting in the Town of Beginnings that conquering this game is possible. Every one of us who are present here shares this responsibility." After a moment of silence, everyone else started clapping.

I stepped forward. "To defeat this boss, we must first separate into parties of six. The only option is a raid group with multiple parties. EXP and Col will be distributed evenly among the parties. Anyone who receives an item will be the sole owner." I observed the people making groups and discussing group strategies. Suddenly I noticed a familiar brunette.

"Hey, Diabel. Mind if I join up with a friend for this mission?" I whispered to him.

"Sure, go ahead."

I ran up the steps to meet up with the black-haired boy and someone in a brown cloak.

"Nice to meet you again, Kirito."

Kirito looked at me and smiled. "Hey Daniel." Then I looked over to the other player.

"Hello. My name is Daniel. What's yours?"

"It doesn't matter. I just decided to stay back because the others seemed to know each other anyway." This shocked me. I didn't think the girl (I could tell by the voice) would be this cold. I tried to brush it off. "Are you a solo player? Mind joining up with me and Kirito here?" I glanced over to Kirito, to see if he was ok with it. He smiled in agreement.

She seemed shocked at first, but then she nodded slowly. Kirito opened the "Social" tab under the main menu and sent a party request to the girl. Meanwhile, I sent a request to Kirito. As part of a party, I could see Kirito's and the girl's health bar, as well as their names. And that is how I learned the girl's name.

_Asuna. Nice name. It seems that Kirito noticed it too. _I saw him looking slightly off to the left, as if looking at the health bars.

"Alright. I got to go back to help Diabel. I'll be back after the meeting." I jumped down to the central stage to join up with Diabel. I patted him on the back so that we could continue.

"Has everyone made their parties? ...Now then-"

"Wait!" Everyone look at the top of the stands, and there was some guy with orange, spiky hair. He made several big jumps and landed in the middle of the stage. "My name is Kibaou. I want to say something before with fight the boss." Then he turned to the stands. "Some of y'all need to apologize to the two thousand players who died in this game." I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Do you happen to be referring to the beta-testers, Kibaou?" I asked with slight irritation.

"Of course! On the launch of this stupid game, the beta testers left us beginners, taking all the good hunting spots and easy quests, leaving us to fend for ourselves. All of these just to get stronger themselves." Then Kibaou pointed in the stands. "I know there are more beta-testers here. If the beta guys don't come clean, we shouldn't trust them. They should get on their hands and knees and apologize to the two thousand! Then, all the money and items they were hoarding should be turned over." Then he turned and pointed at me. "Starting with you!"

I quickly looked at Kirito, and could tell he was troubled with what Kibaou said. I, on the other hand, was extremely pissed. I quickly drew my sword and pointed it at Kibaou. "Let me make one thing clear. It pains me more than anyone, as a beta tester, that two thousand players have died. However, what gives you the right to blame me and the other testers for murder?! Every step of the way up until now, I have _helped_ players with training and quests. I only take items that appear before me, I only take shared quest items, I divided the EXP and Col evenly among the parties I was with, and I _never_ charged for any of my services. What were you doing? If you are so concerned about other players, why have I never heard of _you _helping anyone?"

This made Kibaou step back out of pure shock at first, but then he shifted his hand to the sword hilt near his waist. _Pull it out, I dare you. I don't care if the system prevents health loss in towns, I will take you down and let you live in embarrassment for this._

"Mind if I speak?" I looked and a really big African American, with an axe strapped to his back, stood up and approached us. I was a few inches taller than Kibaou (thanks dad for being American), but this guy made him look like a shrimp. As he got closer, I recognized him as someone I had previously helped.

"My name is Egil. So, Kibaou-san, let me understand this. You believe the beta testers, such as Daniel here, to be responsible for the deaths of the two thousand players who have died thus far. As such, you believe that they should take responsibility, apologize, and compensate for their losses. Is this right?"

"O-Of course." Kibaou stammered. Egil then pulled out a small book from his pocket, which I recognized easily.

"Did you receive this guidebook? The item store provided everyone with a free copy."

"Y-Yeah, I did…why?"

Egil turned toward the stands. "The information compiled in this book, which was available to everyone, was given by the beta testers. So, everyone had an equal access to the same information. Even though this is true, two thousand died. I believed that the cause of this meeting was to learn from their deaths, and see if that could help us against the boss." Egil faced Kibaou, waiting for a response. However, with a huff, he stamped off like a little kid and sat in the corner, moping. I flipped my sword a few times, to show Kibaou what that I could do, then sheathed it. Then I patted Egil on the back.

"Thanks for the help there. I have no idea what I would have to him, I was so angry."

"No problem. I just wanted to help you out for the advice and training you had given me. I will help you out any time." Egil then went back and sat down.

"Now that that has been taken care, let's continue with our strategy." Diabel took out his own guidebook and flipped through a few pages. "The latest guidebook published contains information on the boss. The boss' name is Illfang the Kobold Lord. He uses an axe and a buckler. Even though he has four health bars, he switches over to a curved sword known as a talwar when his final health bar reaches the red. Also, when he equips the talwar, his attack patterns change. He also has minions known as Ruin Kobold Sentinels. "

Everyone seemed impressed by the information, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride knowing I helped compile the guidebook. "One last bit of business: Items during boss fights are automatically distributed. Any EXP and Col with be rewarded to the party who defeats the monsters. Anyone who gets an item keeps that item. Anything else? ...Alright, we embark at ten o'clock sharp tomorrow. Dismissed." Everyone broke up to discuss groups and other strategies. I hung around Diabel and Egil, and Kibaou joined as well.

"Hey, listen. I don't trust you completely, but I'm sorry for what I'm said earlier." I was shocked. Though he was willing to move on, I was still wary.

"I don't trust you completely either, but we need to let that go for now. Anyway, here's a little more information on the boss." For an hour or two, we continued to discuss strategy, the boss' and our own.

* * *

That night, we held a party to commemorate heading for the first boss. I was hanging with Diabel and Egil when I noticed the girl from earlier sitting off to the side.

"I'll be back." I walked over, and ran into Kirito while on the way over.

"Hey, how's it going?" I asked. She just shifted her head up and then turned her attention back to her roll of bread. Kirito and I sat down to her right, and strangely, she shifted over to the left.

Kirito tried to further break the ice, "That must be pretty tasty. I eat one at least one a day. However, I do like to mix it up a bit." He pulled out a jar and set it next to the girl. Asuna hesitated at first, so Kirito told her to go on. She pressed the top part of the jar and a blue light appeared on the end of her finger. "Spread it on the bread," Kirito told her. She spread white cream on the top part of her roll.

"Cream?" She looked at Kirito, who spread cream on his own loaf and took a bite. She took a nibble of her loaf, making sure to eat some of the cream. She paused for a moment, and then devoured her loaf in three seconds flat.

I laughed. "That must have been good." I opened my menu and pulled out a knife and a loaf of bread. I cut a piece off and tossed it to the girl. She seemed shocked and tried to give it back, put I held my hand out to stop her. "My treat." Thankfully, she took a bite.

"That was a reward for a quest called 'The Heifer Strikes Back'. That quest is in the last village before this one, and I can tell you the trick," Kirito offered.

She shook her head. "I didn't come to this town so that I can eat good food."

After almost spitting out the bite of bread I had in my mouth from shock, I swallowed and asked, "Why did you come, then?"

"So that I can still be me. I would rather fight and be myself rather than waiting in an inn at the Town of Beginnings and rotting away. Even if I get killed by a monster, I do not want to lose to this _game_…To this world." _I'm starting to like this girl._

"I agree with you. I'm going to make it to the end of the game, no matter what." She looks at me, and I see her smile.

"Well, I don't want a party member dying on me. So at least, don't die on me tomorrow."

I smack Kirito in the back of the head. "She tells you her resolve, and your response is 'don't die on me'? You're an idiot."

"What? I can't say that?"

"Not at that specific moment, moron!" I hear a small giggle from my left. I look at the girl and smile. _Tomorrow is going to be a good day._

* * *

At ten in the morning, on December 3, everyone was assembled and we marched off to the tower. I dropped back to talk to Kirito and the girl about group strategy.

"Alright, we got assigned to Group E, which will help neutralize the boss' helpers, the Ruin Kobold Sentinels. Me and Kirito will engage the Sentinels. We'll knock them back, and then you'll switch in and finish them off. Sound good?" I ask her.

"Switch?" _Oh crap._

"Haven't you been in a group before?" Kirito asks.

"No, this is my first time." I slam my hand into my head when I heard this.

"Oh crap." It took me a moment to realize, because of the self-inflicted pain, that Kirito had stopped and was bent over in pure shock. _This is going to be interesting. Unfortunately, it's not in the good way._

After about twenty minutes, we made it to the door to the boss room. Diabel stood directly in front of the door and drove the tip of his sword into the ground.

"Everyone, listen. I have one thing to say before we enter. Let's win!"

As another leader, I stepped forward to give one last piece of advice. "There are three columns in the center of the room. Once Illfang's last health bar reaches red, stay away from the columns. The boss will jump across from column to column and unleash a devastating attack." Everyone was poised for action. I turned back to Diabel and nodded to him before moving back to Kirito and the girl.

The plan was simple. Diabel would assess the situation from the back and make changes for the groups. I would lead from the front and lead the initiative. There would be about twelve to fifteen Ruin Kobold Sentinels. Once they were defeated, the groups would surround the Illfang and take him down.

"Let's move!" Diabel slowly opened the door and took a few steps into the room. At first, the room was dark, but once Diabel had entered, the room exploded with light and color. The boss roared into life and jumped into the center of the room. This massive boss was a red lizard like humanoid with a huge gut. Close to his head, his four health bars and his name appeared. Once he landed in the center of the room, three of his minion, the Ruin Kobold Sentinels, appeared. Each was equipped with a chest plate, a helmet, and large ball shaped hammer, called a maul. One was to left, one to his right, and one in front.

"Commence the attack!" Diabel shouted as he swung his sword towards the rushing monsters.

"Strike fast and strike hard!" I yelled as I rushed past Diabel, Kirito and the girl flanking me. I ran towards the minion to my left. It swung its maul down, which I deflected with my shield and shoved it back. "Now!" Two blurs rushed pasted me. One slash and a pierce later, the little critter was destroyed. Another sentinel appeared behind me, but I was prepared. I bashed its head with my shield and slashed across the beast's chest. It broke apart into tons of small digital fragments.

"Diabel, how's it looking?" I yelled.

"Illfang has already lost two health bars, and nine Ruin Kobold Sentinels have been defeated. Keep it up, Daniel!"

"Got it!" I turned to Kirito and his partner. "Guys, let's show these guys who the real boss is!"

Kirito deflected a blow from another lizard and the girl pierced the beast's chest and vanquished it.

I was impressed. _Wow. That girl is incredible. I thought she was just a beginner. She is already showing extreme skill, and she is fast. Any guild would love to have her._ I ran over and slashed at another sentinel. I saw another minion appear in front of me.

"Asuna, off the shield!" She nodded and ran towards me. I hold me shield up at a slight angle, and once I felt her jump onto the shield, I pushed up as hard as I could. She went ten feet in the air and stabbed the creature through its helmet, and it dissipated a second later.

Asuna looked at me confused. "How did you know my—" She was interrupted by a huge roar. I looked over and saw that the boss' final health bar had reached the red. It tossed its axe and buckler aside, ready to pull out its talwar. However, it didn't pull out a talwar. It was a large sword that was V-shaped at the end.

_That's a No-dachi!_ "Everyone, the boss is different from the beta version! Be careful!" I yelled out.

"I got it!" Diabel rushed forward, shield and sword ready. _What is he doing? What happened to surrounding it with all the groups collaborating together?_ Then I saw him look over and smile before facing Illfang. That's when it hit me. _He can't be doing what I think he's doing._

He held his sword back. The blade was bathed in yellow light as he prepared to strike. As soon as Diabel rushed, the large lizard jumped up and hit one of central columns. _This is not good!_

Kirito beat me to the punch. "Diabel! Jump back as fast as you can!" It was too late. Illfang jumped from column to column, picking up speed. Then, it jumped straight at Diabel and slashed. I saw the huge gush across Diabel's chest and I knew that one strike knocked his health into the red. The boss swung one more time and launched Diabel back fifty feet.

"Diabel!" Kirito and I ran over. I saw his health bar slip into the yellow…then the red…then it went blank.

"What were you thinking?" Kirito asked as he pulled out a health potion. Diabel pushed it away before Kirito could use it.

"You were a beta tester, right? I think you know what I was doing." Diabel said weakly.

"You were trying to gain the rare item for the last attacking bonus. _You_ were a beta tester," I said.

Diabel shift his gaze over to me. "Daniel" then he looked at Kirito, "…and Kirito. Please…defeat…defeat the boss. For everyone." Diabel closed his eyes, and then he broke apart into digital fragments.

I just stayed there, knelt over next to the empty space where Diabel had been. I remember Kayaba saying that if we died in the game, we died in real life. But...I never truly comprehended it until now.

Kirito finally broke the silence. "When this ordeal started, my only thought was surviving. But, Diabel was a beta tester as well. He didn't abandon the other players. He led them through the battle, and he fought valiantly. Then there's you, Daniel. You were there to help out the first timers. You have demonstrated the best skill I've seen we a sword and a shield. You and Diabel have done what I have been unable to do." He started choking up and I could see his eyes watering up.

I reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, if you're blaming yourself, don't. Diabel knew the risk more than anyone because he was a beta tester. Also, you are helping people right now. You are showing everyone back in the Town of Beginnings that it is possible to keep moving on. So come on, stand up." I stood up and moved my hand to right in front of him. "I'm here to help you out."

Kirito looked up, wiped his eyes, and smiled. "Yeah, you're right." He clasped my hand and I pulled him up. I could see the new determination in his eyes has he looked at the boss. "Let's finished what Diabel started."

I felt a rush of wind and saw the girl standing behind us. "I'll help you, too."

"Thanks," Kirito and I said before we rushed the giant lizard.

"Just like what we did with the sentinels. Sound good?"

"Yep." "Yep." Kirito and Asuna responded. Illfang saw us coming and charged his sword for a back slash. I prepared to back slash to block his attack. We deflected each other's attack and the boss tried a quick swing at me. Kirito, thankfully, rushed in and blocked that attack with his own blade, knocking him back.

"Switch!" We yelled at the girl, as she rushed towards the off-balanced lizard. Suddenly, it regained balance and swung her. "ASUNA!" We shouted, and she ducked just at the massive blade sliced through her cloak. With nothing restraining it, her long brown hair flowed down. She prepared a thrust and it connected right into lizard's fat gut. Illfang quickly regained his balance and rushed at Asuna. Kirito and I moved in front of her and prepared to block its downward slash. Then, at the last moment, it changed it to a side swipe.

"Crap!" We were sent flying back into Asuna. I had gotten the latter part of the blade, which did some damage, barely knocking me into the yellow. Kirito, however, wasn't so lucky. He had taken the brunt of the damage, and his health almost dropped into the red. Asuna tried to help us get up, but the boss was already standing over us. Just as he was about to swing, Kibaou and two other players knocked the attack back.

Egil ran up after them. "We'll hold him off while you recover." I nodded as he turned back towards the fight. I pulled out a health potion and handed it to him. Kirito chugged it and his health rose back to the green. We got up, and rushed with Asuna to defeat the boss.

Illfang had just scattered the other group when he saw us coming. He ran to swing his blade at us. I block as Kirito and Asuna attacked. When Illfang tried to strike again, Kirito blocked as I drove my blade into his gut. We continued to attack, never letting him regain his balance. Illfang tried one last attack, but Asuna pierced the beast's wrist, causing him to drop the sword. Kirito and I took advantage of the moment and slashed diagonally across his chest. We craved an X-shaped gashed into his chest at the same time, which was enough to drop him. He expanded a little, and then broke apart into millions of fragments.

It was quick at first, besides me and Kirito huffing, trying to catch our breath. Suddenly, someone yelled out, "We won? We won!" Then everyone erupted into cheers as the "Congratulations" sign popped up.

Suddenly, I noticed that Kirito had a window open in front of him. I could read some of it, noticing the "last attacking bonus." Then another window appeared showing the item he had received, which I was able to read: "Coat of Midnight." Then, I noticed a window in front of me. It read "Congratulations! You received the last attacking bonus."

"Both of you deserved those items. That was impressive swordsmanship. This victory belongs to the two of you." I turned and saw Egil and Asuna standing behind us, smiling.

I smiled too. "No…it belongs to all of us." Then I turned to read what the item was.

As soon as I read it, my heart skipped a beat. "No way." There were only three things on the screen: the symbol representing armor and two words, "Phoenix Armor." _Is this some sort of sick joke?!_ I had worked with Akihiko Kayaba once before, helping him create in-game weapons and armor designs. I had proposed the idea of armor that you could upgrade through the game, and he loved that idea. After several hours, we had created a suit of armor for a game that could be upgraded by means of money and blacksmithing. At first, there was no concept behind the armor, so I suggested adding something to it. Kayaba decided to dedicate the armor to my last name: Fenikkusu, or phoenix. Thus, the "Phoenix Armor" was born. And now, the very armor I had helped create, was right in front of me.

"What is it, Daniel?" Kirito's concerned voice brought me out of my shocked state.

"My old project with Kayaba." I replied coldly. Before he could ask what it was, we heard someone crying far behind us. _Why on earth is someone trying?_ I turned and saw Kibaou on his hands and knees while everyone watched.

"Why? Why did you let Diabel die?!" he yelled.

"Come on! Are you blaming me for this too?!" I shouted back.

"Not you. You warned us before hand. I'm talking about him!" I turned over to Kirito, who almost lost his balance from the shock of the accusation against him. "He also knew what the technique that the boss was going to use. But he never said anything! Diabel would still be here if you had told us as well!"

I heard a lot of muttering about Kirito. Then people started yelling. "He must be a beta tester as well!" "That's how he knew what the boss was going to do!" "How can we trust him if he holds back information!" "Are there anymore beta testers here? Come on out!"It was almost as if Kirito had done nothing. People started to look around, seeing if there were any more beta testers.

_This is out of hand. Diabel wanted us to bring the group together. Now they are about to tear each other apart._ "Egil, Asuna. Try to calm him down." As they were walking away, I moved over to Kirito. "So, what are you going to do now?"

"The only thing I can do." Kirito stood up and faced towards Kibaou. Everyone went silent.

"A beta tester?" I could hear Kibaou. _What is Kirito going to do?_

"I wish you wouldn't compare me to those newbies." I was shocked. _Are you insane?!_ Kirito started to walk towards Kibaou. "Most of the thousand beta testers were just newbies, like all of you. Most of them didn't even know how to level up. All of you guys are better than they are. I am different than them. I made it higher than everyone else in the beta test. I knew what this boss' strategy because I was fight monster with much higher katana skills. I know so much more than anyone, even the information brokers."

This made Kibaou shut up for a little bit. "W-What? That's even worse than a beta tester! You're a cheater! Nothing but a cheater!" Others joined into Kibaou's battering. "A cheater!" "He's a cheater!" "He's a beater!" _Wait. A beater? Did someone join beta tester and cheater together?_

Kirito didn't seem to mind. "A beater? I like the sound of that." He opened his menu. "I'm a beater. Now I'm distinguished from the other testers, so don't mix me up with them." He equipped the Coat of Midnight, which was a black coat that offered a strong defense against blades. He turned and started to walk away, heading towards the door to the second floor. He walked past me, and I saw him mouth "Sorry." Before he could walk away, I grabbed his coat collar.

"Where do you think you're going, you idiot?" He turned towards me, confused. "_We_ were the ones who made it the farthest in the beta test. _We_ started this together. And _we_ are going to beat this game _together_." I opened my menu and equipped the Phoenix Armor. Everyone was shocked, especially Kirito.

"What the-?"

"This is the project that I worked on with Akihiko Kayaba: the Phoenix Armor. Knowing Kayaba, this is probably the only one." The Phoenix Armor, in its beginning stage, was still impressive. The armor was currently only a chest plate and the helmet. The chest place was bright red, with orange pin striping shaped as a phoenix with spread out wings. There were bands of dark red around the pin striping to make it pop out. The helmet had a small phoenix head, red with yellow eyes and orange accents. Also, there were red wings with orange accents, facing rearwards, on both sides of the helmet.

"Dang, man. I wish I had gotten that." Kirito said in awe.

"Unforunately, I think this is some of Kayaba's sick mind working right now. Anyway, let's go." I followed Kirito up the stairs. We were half way up when I heard footsteps behind me. I knew who it was.

"Sorry you had to see that Asuna," I say once I hear her stop.

"How did you both know my name? You both used it during the battle." Asuna asked.

"Whenever you're in a party, you can see everyone's name right next to their health bars." Kirito answered.

There was a slight pause; I knew she was discovering this for the first time. "Kirito…Daniel." I heard Asuna mutter. Then she chuckled. "I had never noticed that!"

I smiled, glad to hear her being happy. I turned to face her, with a smile. "Asuna, you need to stay with the group. Solo players are severely limited in their capabilities. With the potential you have, any guild would love to have you."

Kirito faced her as well. "I agree with Daniel. If a person you trust asks you to join a guild, do not hesitate."

Asuna looked concerned. "So…what about you two?"

I turned to Kirito, and I saw him dissolve the party with Asuna. I decided to do the same with him.

"I thought you were coming?"

"I am. I just think soloing fits our style more."

Kirito smiles as he motions to the door. "After you?"

"Alright. Let's go." We reach the top and open the door.

Then we head towards the light of the second floor.

* * *

Another chapter down! Still more to go! Hope all of you enjoy it!

Also, this is for the people who follow: Thank you so much for following. But, could you please review? I don't care if it's a "Good job" or a couple sentences long. Constructive criticism is also appreciated.

Anyway, I will see you next time! Ace out!


	3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone! Sorry for the extremely long wait. I have had no time at all. But, I'm back, Jack! Anyway, time for the responses to the reviews!

Uub: Thanks!

SilverFlameHaze: Thanks for the advice. Hopeful you will like this chapter a little more!

Huejaded965: Thanks. Yeah, I got to go back and make a few edits.

Frozenwolf96: Thanks. More armor improvements to come!

Not-with-a-whimper-but-a-BANG: Wow! That is awesome to have someone think so highly of this story. I am humbled.

Also…because Uub and Huejaded965 asked about it, there will be **NO** harems. I don't roll like that. I will have one girlfriend for Daniel in this story, and that is it. Anyway, time to go!

* * *

Chapter 3: A Girl named Sachi

April 8, 2023

"Daniel, can you please tell me why we are down here on level 20? The front lines are out nearly done with level 28." Kirito's voice snapped me out of my trance-like sleep.

_I must have dosed off._ Of course, who could have blamed me? It was spring, the beginning of the best part of the year. Plus, level 20 was beautiful. Green fields and hills spread out as far as the eye could see. A gentle breeze was blowing across the plains, creating a serene feeling. Flowering trees and small fields of flowers were starting to bloom, contrasting the green landscape with dots of yellow and white flowers. The sun providing the perfect temperature for the time of year. Even though he trapped us in here, I still had to give Kayaba props when it came to the programming controlling the weather.

I yawned before answering Kirito. "First, my good friend Kirito, we are enjoying the great season of spring. Second, and most of important, I dropped some teleport crystals down on this level that I remembered about."

"How did you lose teleport crystals?"

I jumped up and started to stretch. "I remember a horde of giant praying mantises being involved." I smiled while Kirito slapped himself in the forehead.

"Now that you have had your little nap, are you ready to go?"

"Heck yeah! I am ready to burn!" I reequipped the Phoenix Armor which I had taken off before I took my nap. Since I got it, I have been able to upgrade it by focusing all non-battle skill points to blacksmithing. Along with greater defense, endurance, and mobility, I unlocked the vambraces, or the forearm guards, and the leg guards. They were red with orange accents looking like flames. The armor now covered my complete front side.

"Man, I wish I had gotten that armor."

"Yeah, I know. But we can talk about who got what armor later. Right now, let's check that patch of woods first." I pointed to the closest cluster of trees.

"Alright, let's go."

We walked off to the tree cluster. As soon as we got underneath the tree canvas, the immediate area got darker as a result of the cover of leaves. Thankfully, it was still light enough to see around us.

"This is close to the area where I lost those teleport crystals."

"How can you tell?" Kirito asked, stopping just behind where I was standing.

"Because of that," I pointed over to one of the trees. Kirito followed my finger and I thought that his mouth was going to hit the forest floor. A giant slash mark scarred a tree. The darker mark of the slash easily stood out compared to the light brown trunk. "I got lucky and was able to dodge at the last-minute. But, if someone weren't as strong as I was-"

Suddenly we heard a high-pitch scream which immediately sent Kirito and I reaching for our weapons. Thankfully, with my tracking skill, I was able to tell that the scream was coming from somewhere just beyond where we were. I looked at Kirito, who was looking at me already, and we both nodded. I equipped my red flamed-accented steel broadsword and shield. Kirito drew his black long sword as we rushed towards the source of the scream.

Soon, we found a group of five players surrounded by giant praying mantises. Four of the players were surrounded by five praying mantises. Another two mantises had pinned a fifth player, a girl, against a nearby tree.

"Kirito, start with the larger group of players!" I'll save the girl!" Kirito rushed over to the group as I ran to help the girl.

I got there just in the nick of time. The praying mantises were about to slash at the girl. I jumped and , while in mid-air, used my sword and shield to block the attacks. I landed to just in front of the female player and the monsterous insects back, causing them to lose balance. I took the opportunity and stabbed the first mantis between the eyes. As that matis exploded into digital fragments, the second recovered and tried to slash me from the side. I blocked with my shield adn slashed its abdomen in half. As it disappeared, I turned to the player I had just rescued.

She was pretty. She seemed to be around my age and had shorter blue hair and dark blue eyes. The girl wore blue armor and there was a spear just behind her. I assumed she was using it as a ranged weapon, because she had a petite figure. She was shaking out of fear, but I could see a small glint of admiration in her eyes.

"Are you alright?" I asked as I reached out my hand towards her. I smiled to help calm her down.

It seemed to work, as she stopped shaking the admiring glint seemed to grow larger. "Yeah, I'm fine," She answered as she took my hand. I helped her get back up to her feet slowly. "Thanks."

"No problem. I have to go help my friend save your friends. Scream if you need help, ok?" She simply nodded, probably still shocked. I turned so I could ascertain the situation.

The group of players had moved away and began to tend to their injuries. Kirito, on the other hand, had taken their place and was trying to fight the mantises on his own. There were four surrounding him, so I assumed he had killed one of them. The remaining mantises, however, were doing a good job of timing their attacks and keeping Kirito on the defensive.

I sheathed my sword and charged towards Kirito and the mantises. I pulled out two red throwing knives and hurled them at the giant insects. One knife hit a mantis' eye and the other knife struck hit a different mantis' neck. Both were killed instantly, allowing Kirito to go on the offensive. He slashed one mantis through the neck and stabbed the second where its neck reached the abdomen. They were soon turned into small fragments of digital dust.

"I got three mantises. How many did you get, Daniel?" Kirito asked as I was grabbing my throwing knives.

"I had the other four."

Kirito bent backwards a bit in defeat. "Man, you won this time."

"You're still faster than me, though. I wish I had your speed."

"Um..." I turned and saw the blue-haired girl behind me. She had bent her head slightly, trying to muster some courage to speak.

"Are you still fine, Miss..." She seemed shocked when I asked, but she looked up at me.

"S-Sachi. And I'm f-fine." She turned away, seemingly embarrassed.

"Ok," I pulled out a green healing crystal from my bag menu. "But please just take this, ju safe."

She seemed to be nervous at first. But, she simply nodded and took the crystal. She squeezed the crystal until it broke apart, bathing her in a green light. Once the light slowly faded away, she smiled. _Oh my gosh, that is a beautiful_ _smile_.

T-Thank you," She quietly squeaked out.

I was about to say, "You're welcome," but I felt someone shove on my shoulder.

"Man, you two were awesome." The group that had been trapped were now standing next to Kirito. The guy who had shoved my shoulder, a younger-looking man with brown hair and a dark red set of armor, reached out his hand. "Keita, leader of the guild, the Moonlit Black Cats."

I grabbed his hand in a firm handshake. "Daniel. Some people call me the 'Phoenix Knight'."

Keita let go of the handshake in shock. "_The_ Phoenix Knight? What are you doing down here from the front lines?" I guess my name and title had spread around all the way down here. _I need to talk to Egil about that newspaper he helps run._ _I think he took my reputation a little too far._

"I lost a bundle of teleport crystals a while back. I came back to see if I could find them."

"A bundle of teleport crystals?" Keita thought about it for a second. Then he opened his menu and went into his bag. Soon, four blue teleport crystals with a string tied around them appeared in his hand. "Is this them?"

"That would be them! Sweet!" I took the bundle from Keita and put them in my bag. "Thanks."

"No problem. We were curious to why there were just couple a teleport crystals lying on the ground."

Well, I am glad that you were gave them back so willingly. As a reward for giving them back, dinner is on me tonight."

"Awesome!" The members of the Black Cats cheered. I couldn't help but smile.

"Excuse me." Before I was getting ready to go, Kirito was giving me a look that brought me back down to earth. I placed my hand on his shoulder and returned my attention to Keita.

"Before we go, let me introduce y'all to Mr. Silence over here. This is-"

"Kirito, I just met him a couple of minutes ago." I turned back to Kirito, completely surprised. _What are you doing, you idiot?!_

"Nice to meet you, Kirito." Thankfully, Keita did not suspect my actions in any way and shook Kirito's hand. "Anyway, should we get going now?"

"Yeah," I replied after taking a moment to process what had happened. I pulled out a blue cystal and raised it up. "Any suggestions from my guests?"

"How about Taft at level 11? They have a great café."

"Alright. Teleport: Taft!" The teleport crystal began to spew out blue flames. "Everyone, grab on!" Kirito and the others grabbed on as the flames covered me and the group. The first time I had used the crystal, I was spooked out by the flames. But now, it just seemed to calm me as the blue flames licked over us as it teleported us to the village.

Once we had arrived in Taft, the flames died away and the crystal dissipated. I looked around at the central plaza. All the towns had a similar plaza: a wide open space with a water fountain. Some towns had larger plazas than others, and most of the smaller plazas were more ornate than the larger plazas. Taft had a medium sized plaza so it straddled the border of size and ornate-ness. The plaza had several flower beds with red, white and blue flowers around the water fountain, making the space seem warmer than just a simple water fountain.

The buildings followed a simple medieval based construction. Simple "boxes" of stone walls with slightly larger wooden roofs. One of closest to the plaza was a café with an inn on the upper floor.

"Hey Keita. Does that happen to be the café you were talking about?" I asked as I pointed over to the building.

"Yep, that would be the café. And the awesome part is that there was an inn as well."

"Remember guys, I'm payin' for this tonight. So, let's go eat!" We all rushed off and ordered dinner. After we had eaten, Keita offered up a toast.

"Here's to the Moonlit Black Cats!"

"Cheers!" All of us, outside of Kirito, who sat there confused, banged our cups together and took a drink of punch.

Then Hiro, a hyperactive 15-year-old with yellow hair and armor, offered another toast. "And here's to Daniel and Kirito, who saved us!" The Black Cats raised up another "Cheers"!

I laughed heartily. "I should say here's to you all as well. You all are a great group to host." I raised up my glass to make my point.

Sachi spoke up first. "I was so happy when you came." She wiped away some tears from her eyes before continuing. "I was overwhelmed when you saved me."

"I am always willing to help, Sachi." I did a little bow, which made her blush. I smiled at her reaction. "I'm glad Kirito and I made it in time."

"Hey Kirito." I heard Keita trying to whisper to Kirito. "I know it's rude to ask, but what level are you at?"

"About level 20 or so." I clenched my jaw. _You're level 40, two levels above me! What are you up to?_

"Oh, so you're really close to us. And you got there by soloing? Impressive."

Kirito shrugged his shoulders. "Not really. Solo players are only able to attack monsters that are alone."

I came up and wrapped an arm around Keita's shoulder and pulled him in for a little 'story.' "Kirito's right. Soloing happens to be a very inefficient way for leveling up because it has so many limitations. The only way I got so high was because I had a friend who also went soloing with me." I shot Kirito a look before starting up again, "Though we were soloers, we had each other's backs. So, in the sense of experience and training, a guild is the way to go." I grabbed a quick drink of water before Keita shocked me.

"Then how about joining our guild?" I was not expecting that _at all_. After choking on my water (at which Sachi came over and helped me), I turned to Keita.

"Are you serious? Not trying to sound rude, but you do know that I am a front-liner."

"I know that. But, you two are good guys. Also, we need some more close-quarter fighters. Currently our only vanguard is Tetsuo, a mace user." He pointed over to the kid wearing purple armor.

Then he walked over to Sachi and started to pat her head. "I was planning to have Sachi start using a sword and shield rather than a spear. But, she says she not sure how to use it. So, if you join, I know that you will be able to show her the ropes."

Sachi moved away slightly to make Keita stop patting her. "Could you please not talk about me like I am useless? I can't go out and fight in the front rank. I would be so scared."

"Well, you've always been a scaredy cat, so you can just hide behind your shield." The other guys of the Black Cats laughed.

"I'm not sure if having someone in the front ranks who would not be able to handle it." I got a little serious.

"Oh, I-I'm sure that I would be fine if you were with us." That one little stutter didn't make me feel so confident, but I was willing to let it go for now.

"Plus, we were all members of our school's PC Research Club, so we will have our backs," Keita said as he smiled. "But don't worry, I'm sure that the two of you will be fine in no time." The other Black Cats nodded in agreement.

I looked at Kirito, who seemed a little hesitant. "Alright... I'm in."

Then I looked, and caught Sachi smiling at me. _AAH! How can I say no to that smile?!_ "I'm in too!"

Everyone started smiling, and Sachi seemed to beam like the sun. "Great! Let's do our best!" They all gathered around us and encouraged us about new partnership.

Several hours later, when the rest of the guild was sleeping, I went over to Kirito's room and knocked on the door.

"Come in." I opened the door and saw Kirito sitting at his desk, browsing through the menu.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Yeah sure." Kirito motioned to the spare chair. Before I moved, I turned to close and lock the door.

"First, I have to ask this: Are you out of your freaking mind?!"

Kirito seemed to be completely shocked. "What?"

"Ok, let me make sure that we are on the same page." I sat down and started to count on my fingers. "First, you say that we only met for a few minutes. Then, you say you are level 20. And for the icing on the cake, you join them without them knowing that you are about 20 levels above their average levels. So, again, are you out of your freaking mind?!"

"Well, I'm not that good with people. So, I was scared that they would reject me if they knew. Plus, I am not _as_ well known as you are."

"Several things that renders those statements illogical. You are level 40. You are stronger than me. Also, Egil's paper constantly mentions you as the 'Black Swordsman' and tells about your crazy expeditions." Kirito opened his mouth, but I stopped him. "And don't even try to say, 'you didn't know.' I saw you constantly going in and out of his store."

I grab my head and try to clear my thoughts. I don't get much time as Kirito speaks up. "Are you going to tell them?"

Under normal situations, I would tell them. But, we already committed to joining their guild. I don't want them thinking we are holding stuff back. "No, not yet. If either of us tells, it will be you. But, since they don't know about your level, you either tell them now, or you want till they have a concrete trust in us and then tell them. However, it's your call. Whatever you do, I'll back...because we are friends."

I stood up. "Now that that's off of my chest, I'm going back to bed. Night."

"Night," Kirito said as I walked out the room. As I went back to my room, I couldn't help but sense that someone was hiding in the darkness of the inn at night.

* * *

A month pasted by quicker than I had imagined. All that training with the Black Cats was certainly a challenge...but a rewarding one. However, that meant Kirito and I have been from the front lines for a month. I saw the paper which didn't make me feel any better about our time away from the fronts. I was surprised that it took the guys up there this long to clear level 28, because I thought they would have finished faster.

Now, it was May 9th, and we had been going back to level 20 to do some training. Thankfully, there were nowhere near as many mantises gathered together like the first time we met. However, I was nervous that Keita had Sachi using a sword and shield. So, I was more careful to make sure about enemy strikes. When we met our first mantis, Tetsuo and Hiro had managed to weakened it considerably. Sachi seemed to handling herself well at first, but then the insect reared its head for a last-ditch effort. Then Sachi froze with fear. The mantis took an opportunity to strike.

But, I was right there for Sachi. I knocked the mantis back with my shield, sliced off the claw that it was trying to strike with before turning to Tetsuo.

"Tetsuo, switch!" Tetsuo nodded and rammed his mace straight into the mantis' head. It burst into a cloud of digital fragament. A small window alerting Tetsuo to a level up, from 22 to 23, popped up when the fragments disappeared.

"Alright!" Tetsuo cheered as Hiro and Keita patted him on the back. Kirito stood back with the other support player, Yosuke, as I checked on Sachi.

"You doing fine?"

She looked away. "Not really. I just get scared."

I shook my head, but then smiled. "Hey, look at me." She looked up with those amazingly clear blue eyes. "Here. If you wait behind hide your shield..." I hold my shield up for a demonstration, "and wait for an enemy to strike the shield, then you bring your sword out..." I swung my sword. "...For that final blow."

"Alright, I'll try that." For about an hour or two, we continued to train. Sachi was able to grow a little more confident with the sword and shield. She even managed to kill a few mantises. We decided to take a break at a hillside with some old ruins. Sachi, Tetsuo, Hiro, and Yosuke sat at one level, while Kirito, Keita, and I sat at one level lower. The sunlight and the wind was starting to put me to sleep...

Until Keita spoke up. "Hey, Kirito...Daniel." We both turned our attention to Keita. "Why do you think that the guys on the front lines are up at the front lines?"

"Probably because they know where all of the good hunting spots are. They just hog the spots to themselves and level up easily."

"I don't think that is why. Or at least, not completely." Keita seemed serious about this, and I was curious.

"So, Keita. Why do you think the front liners are up there. I do agree with you... to an extent."

"I think that it is because of willpower." _Well, this is going to be interesting._ "The guys at the front lines seem to have more will to actually complete the game. To protect their friend's... no, everyone. They are protecting us even as we speak. But, I think that I have the same willpower as they do."

Then he looked to the rest of the gang. "Our first priority is the safety of our friends. But I believe that we can make it to the top, with the rest of them, someday."

I smiled. It's not everyday you see someone like Keita. "I agree with you one hundred percent. If we don't have that will to carry on and protect our fellow players, what are we fighting for? We take responsibility on our shoulders to make sure that everyone can get home. But, with that philosophy and attitude of yours, Keita, I'm sure you can see your dreams become reality."

He seemed to brighten up even more. Suddenly, Hiro came up behind Keita and put him in a loss choke hold. "Hey, Keita, looking good!"

"Knock it off!"

Sachi, Tetsuo, and Yosuke came up soon after. "So, do you think that we will be up with the Knights of the Blood Oath and the Holy Dragon Alliance?" Tetsuo asked.

"Hey, there is no problem in setting big goals. But, in the meantime, we all have to reach level 30!"

"What?!" "Are you crazy?" "That's impossible!" Keita got hit immediately with some skepticism. But, I could help but feel some sort of happiness.

_These are really good guys... and a girl. They are all hard workers. And if Keita pulls them all the way to the front, that could be a major game changer. I see no problem with them making it to the rest of us. _I looked at Kirito, who seemed to be thinking the same thing. But, he nervously looked down at his level marker. I didn't know why at first, but soon an idea started to form in my head... an idea I hope would prove to be false.

After Keita managed to throw Hiro off, we continued with another training session, lasting about fours. Everyone, outside of me and Kirito, leveled up at least one more level. Then we went back the inn at Taft for a guild meeting.

Keita calmed down everyone before speaking up. "After our last efforts, we have 200,000 cor saved up!"

Everyone was shocked, but then we let out a little cheer. "We can almost buy a house with kind of money!"

Tetsuo motioned to speak, and Keita acknowledged. "I think we should get some better equipment for Sachi."

"I agree," Hiro chimed in.

Sachi, however, a little to my shock, shook her head. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure Sachi? I pay for it if you want. Plus, I can tell you whether or not the condition is good with my blacksmithing skill."

"That's alright. Thanks though." She seemed to be fine, but then she looked down, nervous about something. I wanted to know why, but I decided to wait and see what unfolded.

Another week pasted, and unfortunately, my fears came back to haunt me. At some odd hour of the night, maybe after midnight, I heard a door close. And I knew instantly who it was.

"Kirito, please do something that is completely contradicting to what I am thinking." I waited a minute, then got up. I threw on some clothes and went to Kirito's room. I opened the door, and the bed... was empty."

"Darn it, Kirito!" I ran quickly to the stairs. I slid down and practically leaped to the door. As soon as I opened the inn door, I saw Kirito standing at the teleporting block at the central plaza. But, the teleport light quickly poured over him and he vanished to another floor.

"You are not screwing up the trust we have built with our friends, you idiot." I equipping my Phoenix Armor and rushed over to the block, having a guess to where Kirito was heading. But, halfway there, a message icon popped up in front of me. I skid to a stop and opened the message.

[Daniel, Keita here. Sachi left and has not yet returned to her room. We are currently heading to the dungeon room at level 20. If happen to find her, let me know. Thanks.] _Kirito, you can take care of yourself. I have a bigger issue right now._

I pulled up my menu and went to my "Skills" list. I selected "Tracking" and let the magic work. "Tracking" was a _very _useful skill. Once I had made Sachi the target, my screen turned from the normal night colors to a green screen. Thankfully, I soon got a hit. Two hundred yards away, light green dots appeared. I zoomed in on those dots, and the dots turned out to be footsteps... Sachi's footsteps. I ran off and followed the trail.

After a couple of minutes of navigated the labyrinth of buildings, I came upon a sewer system near the edge of town. After a quick scan, I found Sachi sitting near the water, holding her legs against her chest. I walked over and stopped a few feet away, letting Sachi notice I was here. Until her, who was down in the shadow of the wall, I stood in the moonlight.

"Sachi, what are you doing here? Everyone is concerned about you." She looked at me for a split second and then looked back down at the ground.

"Daniel... what would you say if I said we should run away together?" _I have never seen her like this... what is going on?_

"Sachi, what would we be running away from?" I asked as I sat down.

"From this town... from the monsters... from the Moonlit Black Cats... From Sword Art Online." I couldn't belive what I had just heard. _Sachi, how can you say this?!_

"You can't possibly mean... double suicide?!" The sad thing was, that was not an uncommon occurance. People began to lose hope. Then you would find either a place at the edge of Aincrad or a really tall building, jump, and the rest is history.

Sachi opened her mouth, as if to answer. But, she closed her mouth and just shook her head. "No. I'm sorry." Sachi buryed her head into her legs and started crying. "*sniff* If I had the courage to die *sniff*, I wouldn't being hiding within the safety of this twon, would I?"

Then she looked at me; those eyes seeming to be a darker shade of blue because of her sadness. "Why *sniff* why can't we leave this place? Why do we have to die, even though this is meant to be just a game? What is the point...*sniff* of any of this?"

I just sat there, feeling the angry rising inside of me. _Trust me, Sachi, I ask myself those questions every freaking day. I have no idea what Akihiko Kayaba's sick twisted game is. I try to do the best I can, but I still have no answers... no guesses... no freaking idea how this happened. My mom, who worked with him, never suspected anything like this. Knowing what I know, I feel like I am not doing the best I can because of his decision. Why? Why, Akihiko?_

I was able to calm myself before answering. "I have no idea. I wished I did, but I don't. All I know that we have to keep moving foward.

She wiped away some tears before continuing. "I am afraid of dying."

I looked at her. "I know what you mean. And I don't blame you one bit."

"I'm so scared. I haven't been able to sleep lately..."

I suddenly came to realize something. Sachi was just like me... just like everyone else here. No matter how far you had to dig down, we all had this fear of one mistake, and then we would be gone... forever. So, I did what I thought was a good idea. I went over and sat down right next to Sachi. Then, I wrapped her in a hug and pulled her into my chest.

"Don't worry, Sachi. You won't die."

She seemed so shocked at what I had done. But, she soon relaxed. "Are you serious?"

I chuckled. "Yes, I mean that."

She relaxed even more. Then she started to hug me, which shocked me. "How can you be sure?"

After a moment, I told her, "We are in a strong guild. The Black Cats keep a very strong margin of safety. Plus, I will make sure that you stay safe. You don't have to go and force yourself into the front ranks."

Sachi turned to choke up again. "So, I don't really have to die? I can make it back to reality someday?"

"Yes. I will help you get home. I promise."

After a few minutes, we went back to the inn. Once in my room, I sent a quick message to Keita, telling him that I had found Sachi and we were at the inn. Then, I heard a knock on my door. _Who could that be?_

"Come in." The door opened and Sachi walked in. I was a little surprised, even though I shouldn't have been because of what had happened earlier.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, but I still could not get to help." She turned away a bit and I could see a small pink blush. "So, can I stay here?"

"Y-Yeah... sure." I was shocked from her asking. But, I went with it, especially since she had opened up to me so much earlier. So, we slept in the same bed... back to back, cramped in a small space. Nothing happened; we both just tried to sleep.

I just laid there, thinking about what had happened. _Nothing will happen to you. You won't die, Sachi. I am just as scared as you. Everyone trapped in this game is. But, we still find a way to laugh... to cry... and to live the best we can. That's all we can do._

"Daniel?" Sachi must had known I wasn't asleep. I turned so that I could face her.

"Don't worry, It's okay. You are going to return home." She cheered up a lot, turned around so that her back faced me, and went to sleep. I turned around as well, reminsicing at this final thought: _I will protect you... I will protect all of you._

* * *

Another month past, and we finally had enough money for a house. Keita decided to go down to the Town of Beginnings to buy a house for the Black Cats. He somehow managed, to my surprise and relief, to bring Kirito with him. So, the rest of us decided to see them off.

"Remember Daniel, you're in charge while I am down at the Town of Beginnings with Kirito."

I saluted and smiled. "Yes, sir!"

He chuckled. "Alright. See you." Keita then joined Kirito on the platform and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Teleport: Town of Beginnings." Seconds later, they were wisked away by the blue teleportation light.

"I had no idea buying a home would be a such a big deal," Yosuke remarked.

Hiro punched him in the arm. "You are starting to sound like an old man, Yosuke." We all laughed.

"I have to admit, we have come a long way from when we first met." I smiled knowing how good the past two months had been.

Then Tetsuo came up with an idea. "Hey, we should go and get some cash while they are buying the house."

Sachi jumped up and down a little, clapping her hands. "Will we be able to buy furniture?"

"Why don't we go to the dungeon?" Hiro's suggestion sent a chill up my spine.

"I don't think that's a good idea. We should just stick with our usual hunting grounds.

"But we'll be able to get more cash up above." "Plus, we are fine at our currently levels." Yosuke and Hiro instantly tried to rebuke my statement. I just sighed.

"Alright, let's go." Everyone got bright eyed.

One trip and a little walk later, we were in the dungeon at level 27. The dungeon was a simple: a large maze made up of large turquoise block built of stone. It was not like a cookie-cutter mold. There was no set design. Some sections of the wall reached farther then other. Some sections were longer. Some sections were taller. Though there was no set design, the dungeon was able to keep from falling apart... much to our relief.

"I told you that there would be no problem, Daniel." Hiro seemed to be happy at our progress. We still had not encountered many enemies. But, dungeons were like a game of poker, you don't see your opponent's hand. And our opponents were merciless and did not care for living being.

"Just keep your heads on a swivel, guys. You never know when the enemy is going to make its move." I keep in the back of the group, acting as support. I kept on making sure that my Phoenix Armor was equipped properly. As we walked along, Hiro and the others stopped in front of a certain section of the wall. Similar to Braille, a random pattern of rectangular edges jutted out of the wall. After Hiro held his hand over the pattern, it lit up in a light turquoise color and the section of the wall slowly crawled its way up. Just behind the section was a simple wooden door.

_What is this? I don't remember this door. _An uneasy feeling began to creep in. But, there was one thing that immediately caught our attention.

"Look, a treasure chest!" Hiro, Tetsuo, and Yosuke all ran towards the chest. Suddenly, a gut-turning memory popped up in my head. That chest was Pandora's box... and my friends were about to release the demons.

"Guys! STOP! Don't open that chest!" I rushed to try to stop them, with Sachi tailing me. But, I was too late. Hiro knelt down and opened the chest. Instead of an item, the turquoise light, which enabled us to see through the dungeon, turned into red, almost like an alert light. The wooden door quickly shut and locked itself. Different sections of the wall rose, letting in a swarm of more than 40 Goblin Raiders to rush in. To make matters worse, 20 Stone Golems suddenly materialized. They quickly surrounded us... there was no way out. We immediately set ourselves in a back-to-back position, preparing for the onslaught.

"Guys, get out teleport crystals! Teleport to Taft and meet in the inn! I'll go last to make sure that everyone gets there!"

Hiro was the first to get out a teleport crystal. "Teleport: Taft!" Rather than the familiar blue flames, Hiro just stood there. "Teleport: Taft!... What is going on?!"

"Why can't we teleport?" Sachi asked.

_This is the worst scenario to be in... especially in a dungeon._ "Guys, this is a crystal nullification area. There is only one way out of her," I drew my sword out and prepared my shield, ready to attack the closest Goblin. "We fight!" We rushed forward and attacked. We were able to defeat a few enemies. But, there were more Goblin Raiders swarming in... more Stone Golems also kept on materializing. If we had been all towards level 38, which was where I was at, there would not have been a problem. However, everyone else was at an average level of 26. They were unprepared to handle the rush of the attackers.

Hiro was the first to fall. He got knocked down by a Golem, then four Goblins repeatedly struck him with their hammers. After a few seconds, he disappeared in a cloud of digital fragments.

"Hiro!" My fight-or-flight response instantly turned to fear. I tried harder to fight through to save me friends. But, the enemy kept on replicating faster than I could destroy them. The others were doing their best... but it wasn't enough.

Tetsuo was smashed by a Golem's fist and then disintegrated. Yosuke was struck down by a Goblin hammer. There was only one other person left... Sachi.

"Tetsuo! Yosuke!" I looked around quickly, and saw Sachi blocking a Golem. Though she was using a more comfortable spear, the Golem was too strong. It was only a matter of time. I slashed through two more Goblins and rushed to save Sachi...

She threw off one Golem, but was struck in the back by another. My heart stopped as I saw the large digital scar on her back as her body turned around from the force... so her face became visable. Time slowed as I continued to rush forward. It seemed slower as her health gauge slipped from green to yellow... from yellow to red... to red to 0.

"NO!" She looked at me. Rather than a face of defeat and despair, Sachi smiled. Her lips moved, but I was unable to comprehend what she said. Then, she turned into fragments of digital data... then faded away forever.

I stopped and fell onto my knees. _Sachi... I failed. I couldn't save you. I let you die. No... no._

"SACHI!" I screamed as I hit the floor with my fists. Tears were streaming from my faces. I thought that my heart was going to burst with anguish. Even as I laid there, the Goblins and the Golems slowly gathered around me. One Golem finally came forward and started to raise its rocky fist. Then it brought down in a deadly arc.

But, I moved my shield incredibly fast to block the attack. I felt a surge of energy rise inside of me. A red, flame-like aura covered me, my sword, and my shield. My vision turned into a fiery orange vision. I felt stronger and faster. I slowly stood up, causing the Golem to lose some balance.

Then, I attacked. My sword became a red blur and instantly vaporized the Golem. All I could see was a blur... I knew I was stabbing, slashing and bashing. But, I was moving so fast, I couldn't see my sword and shield move. Golbins and Golems were being mangled left and right. An attack was deflected... any weapon was broken if they hit my armor. I soon took out 30 Goblins and 20 Golems so that there were no enemies in front of me. I turned around and saw 20 Goblins and Golems remaining. I concentrated my new-found energy into a single blast. As I thrust my sword forward, a giant phoenix, all ablaze hurled towards the remaining foes. The monsters were vaporized into digital ash.

After the phoenix dissipated, there were no enemies remaining, and the door had been burned. The aura faded away and the new-found strength receded back inside of me just as quickly as it came. I went down onto one knee, breathing heavily. I sheathed my sword and looked at my hand. _What... was that? How... did I obtain this power?_

I quickly surveyed the area. Half of the room was charred and covered in charcoal. Nothing remained on the burnt half. However, there was one item left... just on the edge of the burnt and unburnt floor.

I slowly got up and hobbled weakly over to the item. I knelt down and picked it up. It was Sachi's spear... perfectly undamaged. I gripped the grip hard, and the tears started to flow again, knowing that I had lost a great friend...

"SACHI!"

* * *

DONE! Oh my gosh, guys. You guys have no idea how much I hated to write this chapter. BUT! This is only a half, and for my SAO fans, you know that there is more to come. The next chapter will be out in a couple of days. For now, read and review please! See you guys next time.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello to everyone! Sorry for the longer wait than what I was expecting. I have been a lot busier than I was expecting... BUT, here we go. After these review responses:

Artile: Unforunately, it had to be done. Daniel is definitely not happy with me right now.

Huejaded965: Thanks, I guess I got to be a little more careful. Yeah, it was a "love at first sight" scenario. I did not like writing that part ONE BIT! It was incredibly hard to do without going through the anguish again.

SilverFlameHaze: Thanks! I will always be striving to improve.

Phoenician Rose: Thanks! You will have to wait and see.

Animefangirl526: Thanks! I am glad you enjoy it.

Now, on with the show! WARNING! This chapter will be pretty heavy. You have been warned.

* * *

Chapter 4

The Will of a Knight

December 24, 2023

Eight months… it has been eight long months. Eight months since my biggest mistake…. eight months since my arrogance took the lives of five of my friends in the Moonlit Black Cats guild.

Four of them had died in a dungeon… while I was fighting to save them. The fifth had died later on…. after learning what had happened.

I just laid there on the bed in the inn room that I had rented. It was December already. Everything I have done since had been driven to make myself stronger. I had taken less quest from people and focused more on soloing. Kirito and I had been fighting together since April, and I put myself through a lot to reach the level I am at now. Currently, I am level 63. I am now twice as fast… strong… and more resilient for defense as I was in April. My blacksmithing skill maxed out last month, so I was already making higher quality weapons than almost every other blacksmith in the game.

Why was I doing this? So I don't have to feel the pain that I felt once I saw Keita's face when I broke the news. I closed my eyes and watched the horrible scene replay in my dreams:

_I had just explained to Ketia and Kirito what had happened in the Level 27 dungeon. It stung to say how I had failed to saved our friends. Kirito looked shocked, but he seemed to understand that I did the best I could given the situation. Keita, on the other hand, was surprised… but that surprise turned to anger._

_"How could you let them die?! You're the Phoenix Knight! You should have been able to save them!"_

_"I know… You had invited me into your guild. You knew full well who I was, and you trust me. But don't think I tried." I said, lower because of all the guilt I had. "I did what I could…but it wasn't enough."_

_Keita's face paled as the reality sank in even more. He started to walk over to the edge of sidewalk… then he stepped up onto the flowerbed against the edge of the city. Then, Kirito and I realized what he was doing._

_"STOP!" It was too late though. Keita fell off the edge, straight towards the clouds underneath the floating castle of Aincrad. Then I saw the small burst of the blue digital fragments… and my heart sank. I heard of stories of people doing this before. Some just lose hope, so they think that falling off was the only way to escape. But… I never thought that I would see it before my eyes. I just fell down on my hands and knees. Sobbing. I could feel Kirito put his hand on my shoulder._

_"We have to make it through this." Kirito was right, but… How can I just 'make it through?' I got back on my feet and turned my back to Kirito. I started to walk towards the sidewalk cover in the shadow of the castle._

_"I swear to you, Kirito. This will never happen again. I will find a way to bring them back. And if I can't bring them all back, I will bring back one of them so I can atone for what I have done." I walked in the shadows and vanished from Kirito's sight._

I shot up, sweaty from the sight again. I was breathing heavy just to try to calm myself down. That was a long eight months ago. I tried to find anything that I could to see if Kayaba had left behind some kind of "hole" to get my friends back. An item, a skill, a small black spot in the data so they could slip through. But, there was nothing. There was nothing I could do to get any of them back.

One thing was about to change that. I decide to take a few steps and spend some time around at Myugen at the 49th level. I had a friend whom I had asked to meet me here... Hopefully he had the information that I was seeking. The town of Myugen was quite impressive with all the Christmas decorations. I had to give it to Kayaba for the codes in the Christmas special. It was snowing, something that I have absolutely loved since I was a kid. Strings of lights crisscrossed between the buildings above our heads. In the central plaza, the water fountain was replaced with a giant Christmas tree that reminded me of the Rockefeller Christmas tree in New York.

However, I cannot focus on that now. I have a mission to complete, and nothing is going to stand in my way. I sat in a bench a few yards away from the Christmas tree. Moments later, my friend showed up and leaned against the back of the bench.

"Rover, it's been a while."

The young man with the hood shook his head. "And why is that? You know that I have settled down here. But, you have been taking a huge risk when it comes to leveling up in the past months."

"I know your concerned, but you don't have to worry. Did you happen to find anything?"

"Nothing that would be worth charging you for. You already seem to know a lot about this game anyway."

I turned to him in shock. "You didn't found _anything_? I didn't even know that was possible from one of the best information brokers this side of level 40."

"This is the first time this event has happened. You know that this wasn't even in the beta!"

"The beta didn't run through Christmas. Why don't you just run over what you know? I have been in the dungeons the majority of the time and I need a recap."

Rover turned to me. "Tonight at midnight, at the end of Christmas Eve, the event boss, "Nicholas the Renegade," will appear. Upon defeating this foe, a special item will be dropped. That item is said to bring any one player back to life."

That last part brought a small, sudden burst of tears. The purpose of my training... the goal of my mission... was that one item.

I shook out those tears and cleared my throat. "Does anyone know where Nicholas the Renegade will appear?"

"The only clue is that he will appear underneath a certain fir tree. Every big guild is searching high and low for it. The Knights of the Blood Oath... The Holy Dragon Alliance... even the Laughing Coffin. But, they haven't found it yet."

_No one has found it yet? That can only help me._ I thought to myself as I stood.

Rover seemed confused. "Do _you_ know where it is?"

"I have a hunch. Thanks for everything Rover." I turned and walked away, throwing up a hand to say goodbye. The walk back to the hotel seemed to take an eternity, contemplating all the information. A fir tree... at the stroke of midnight... and only one obstacle between me and the prize, Nicholas the Renegade. I had put my hand on the door when someone grabbed my arm.

"Wait a second, Daniel." I was shocked by who was speaking to me. It was someone whom I shared a good friendship with in the past, but my recent training regiment, our friendship had been strained. I turned around to see a girl with chestnut hair, hazel eyes, and a white and red uniform.

"It's great to see you again, Asuna. It's been about eight months since we last talked. With all the commotion, I'm surprised you were able to get away."

She shot me a look which made me gratefully that looks could not kill. "It wouldn't have been that long if you didn't train all of the time. You know that Kirito and I are worried about you."

Asuna came all the way from the front lines to tell me that she was worry? That doesn't happen too often, even before floor bosses. "Did Kirito every tell you what happened?

She seemed a little puzzled. "No."

"If you were in my shoes... saw what I saw, knowing that what had happened had been a result of the actions you took... you would be doing the exact same thing I was."

She looked down for a moment, "I may not know what happened, but are you sure that this is worth it?"

I could feel the anger bubbling up inside of me. I turned around quickly and it was my turn to shoot a killer look. "Is it worth it?! I have spent eight months training! I have been waiting for the time that I can finally atone for my actions! If you think that you can stop me, you are dead wrong. So I will only say this once: Do not stand in my way, Asuna!"

Asuna had taken a few steps back, and I could see the fear in her eyes. I realized what I had done and guilt instantly washed over me. I turned and stood on the central platform. "I am sorry, Asuna. I know you are concerned, and only a true friend would come the distance you did to talk to me. But, you know that I am capable of doing this. Tell that to Kirito as well. Thanks, Asuna... I appreciate everything you have done." With that, I turned the knob and walked up to my room.

I seem to slip into my own world as I prepared for the mission. I went through all the swords, shields, knives, and anything else that would give me an advantage. I had a large inventory through my massive grinding session. After about an hour of searching, I chose the Black Steel Talwar, a sword with high speed and strength, the Red Tower Shield, renowned for its ability to block even thrusting weapons, and carbon steel throwing knives. Then I turned my attention to the weapon on the table.

It was Sachi's old spear. At the time I had taken it up, it had a simple wooden shaft and an iron tip. Now, it could be considered a piece of art. I had replaced the old shaft with a 5 foot maple shaft, craved and painted with vines and white roses, which had been Sachi's favorite flower. The tip was replaced with a nine inch carbon steel spike. I walked over and held the spear, becoming instantly overwhelmed with my memories of Sachi. I sat in the chair next to the table, trying to unsuccessfully hold back the tears. That sadness soon turned to anger against one person: Akihiko Kayaba.

_I will make you pay for this, Akihiko. _With that final thought, I wiped away my tears and headed to the forest on level 35.

The forest was filled with pines and fir trees, reminding me of the Christmas tree patch that my parents and I visited every year while we lived in the US. The snow was softly falling, which was helpful to see arounded through the dark night. I held up the map I had, marking where, I hoped, the special fur tree was located. The map showed that the tree was up three areas ahead of where I was. I started running, hoping to reach the tree within a few minutes.

I made it through the next area easily, but then I was stopped before I made it to the tree. I noticed a group of blue flames erupting in front of me, stopping me dead in my tracks. Once the flames dissipated, I saw Klein, his guild, and Kirito blocking the path. I felt a bit of annoyance that my friends were blocking my way. Especially someone who knew exactly what had happened.

"I knew you had a nice guild going Klein, but I didn't know you recruited Kirito. I am also impressed by the fact you were able to follow me," I said as I continued to walk forward.

Kirito just shook his head. "You know that I wouldn't join a guild. I just brought them to help me. You don't have to do this alone."

Klein spoke up. "Kirito knew that you were going after the revival item, and he seems very adamant to help you. We can do this together. I know you have been taking up very risky training regiment over the last few months. You can stop this!"

I walked right up to Klein, looking him dead in the eye. "I do not have that luxury, Klein. If I did, I wouldn't go the lengths I have. There is a debt to be paid, and I always pay a debt. And if any of you should understand that..." I shifted my gaze to Kirito, "... is you."

Kirito broke my stare and looked away. "I know what you went through. I wish I could have helped you more. But, how do you know that you will bring her back."

I tried to control my anger. "Akihiko himself made this challenge. He didn't place it in the beta for this reason. There is a revival item waiting to be taken. I will defeat Nicholas the Renegade to get it." I shoved my way through the group and headed for the fur tree.

Two of Klein's friends run in front and drew katanas to block me. Klein, however, stepped forward to block them. "If you die here, you die in the real world. We can go together. Whoever gets the item, keeps it. We won't have any hard feelings. That is fair."

"I CANNOT DEAL WITH JUST FAIR!" I couldn't control myself anymore. "Sachi is gone! She was a nice girl who was scared like everyone else! She trusted me! She died because of my arrogance! I can't live with myself until I bring her back!"

Before Klein could respond, more blue flames erupted behind us. Klein, Kirito, and the gang quickly moved around me, drawing their weapons. The flames soon died away, revealing one of the most famous, or rather infamous, guilds in Aincrad.

"I should have known that the Holy Dragon Alliance was following you, Klein."

"You are right about that. These guys are insane."

"The Holy Dragon Alliance is notorious for using any tactic to obtain any item. A revival item would definitely be hard to pass up." Kirito prepared himself to strike.

"We are running out of time. I need to get moving, and I will plow through them to get to it." I started to draw my blade, but Klein stepped directly in front of me.

"D-it! Daniel, we can handle these guys. Keep moving!" Swords and axes were brought out, ready to clash against a force three times larger than the six man guild, plus Kirito. But I knew that with Kirito's help, Klein and his friends could take on anything.

"Kirito. I know you are a great friend, and would definitely do anything to help me. You know how much I have suffered because of this, so could you mind hanging back and helping them?"

Kirito seemed very hesitate, but he saw the look in my eyes, and knew that I was about to go through hell to get that revival item. He moved towards the Holy Dragon Alliance and prepared to charge. "Go. We can handle this."

"Thanks!" I ran ahead, hearing the sound of clashing metal, and then it fading as I kept running.

After a few moments, the forest sounded silent as I found the fir tree. The giant, 50 foot tree had a bright blue glow to it, making it instantly stand out in the forest. I was glad that I found it, in more than one way. I remember the last night I spent in the US. The night that would ultimately change my fate.

_Flashback:_

_It was December 24th, 2019. My mom and I were walking through Central Park during our vacation to New York to see family. I was looking at all the snow-covered trees, marveling at the white all over. Though our name meant Phoenix, I loved snowy winters. My mom would always take me for walks through snow-covered parks. We would make snow angels, snowmen; I just acted like a big kid whenever there was snow._

_After a good walk, we stopped by the Rockefeller Christmas Tree. It was so tall, and it was covered in red, white, and blue lights. It was a grand sight to behold, and I loved the smell of the fur tree, which is actually the first time, documented, a fir tree was used. We stood at the base, waiting for the count of midnight._

_My mom was counting down on her watch. "3...2...1... Merry Christmas, Daniel." She smiled._

_I smiled back at her. "Merry Christmas, Mom."_

_"Merry Christmas, Daniel. Merry Christmas, Ayano." We turned and saw someone walking towards us. Sporting a trademark __lab coat, glasses, and the never-changing black haircut, we instantly recognized him._

_"Akihiko!" I ran up and shook his hand. "Merry Christmas!"_

_ My mom came up and gave him a quick hug. "Merry Christmas, Akihiko. I am surprised you are here."  
_

_"I think you know why I am here." Akihiko smiled. My mom looked wearily at him._

_"You came all the way from Tokyo to New York City just to ask me to come to Argus?"_

_"I can think of no one else who has better skills in gaming programming and graphic design then you. You would be perfect as the vice development director."_

_I was confused. "Vice development director? Is this for a new game?"_

_Akihiko looked at me and smiled. "Yes, Daniel. This will be the greatest project I have worked on. And I would like your mom to help me." My eyes widened and I looked at my mom. She was thinking; I could see all the "variables" and "calculations" in her eyes. She was really having a hard time making a decision._

_"I'm not sure, Akihiko. What about my family. I have to take care of Hana as well."_

_"I can help out with that. I know a great neighborhood you can move to in Tokyo. It's not that far from Argus."_

_Something in my mom's eyes seem to brighten. "I will consider it. Thank you."_

_Akihiko smiled again. "I look forward to your decision. Have a Merry Christmas." With that, he turned around and left, and I swear I heard him humming "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."_

_(End Flashback)_

Little did I know that the time, my fate changed that night. The following week, my mom, Hana, and I left for Tokyo. The week after, Akihiko started to work on his "greatest project," Sword Art Online. Since my mom was the vice development director, I received instant access to the beta and a free copy of one of only ten thousand copies. But that was before this death game started. That was before I lost Sachi. Now I am changing that; I am bringing Sachi back.

While I was thinking, I heard the distant sound of jingle bells, coming from above. I looked and saw two lights streaking across the night sky. Then, something huge fell and landed on the ground. The impact sent snow flying in all directions, causing me to shield my eyes. After the snow cleared, I saw my adversary: Nicholas the Renegade. He was a giant, blue skinned Santa (red robe, beard, and all) with an axe and four health bars. I brought out my shield and sword and faced the deranged gift giver.

"Just hurry up and give me my present already." I charged, deafened by my scream, Nicholas the Renegade's roar, and the loud clash of our weapons. The next few moments were a blur. I was moving so fast... I was filled with so much anger... All I could have focus on was hitting the defiled Santa. I quickly barely tell all the slash marks on Nicholas the Renegade's body. The behemoth tried to swing at me with the large axe, screaming a blood curdling cry all the while. However, my agility was top notch for my level, so I was able to dodge almost every attempt.

However, the Renegade landed a good hit. The blow caused me to slow hold of my sword as I fell backwards. I was able to do a backflip and landed a good fifteen feet away. I checked the boss' health, then mine. He was on his final health bar, while his axe had knocked my health down to fifty percent. The sword had landed too far away, and Santa was already bringing up the axe for the finishing strike. I rolled out of the way, narrowly dodging the savage blow. I landed in a crouching position, opened the menu, and pulled out Sachi's spear. I placed the shaft on my shield so that I could easily block then strike.

"I think you have been naughty, Nicholas the Renegade. Come over and get your lump of coal." I charged, sidestepping to miss another massive swing from my foe. I jumped and ran my spear through the blue giant's shoulder, causing it to lose a little more health. He screamed in pain and knocked his arm his arm into me. It did minimal damage, but it was enough to knock me off. I quickly shoke it off as I landed.

"Enough of this. Time to end this now!" I threw my shield aside and brought the spear back. At the same time, I activated the special skill I got from the tragedy eight months ago, instantly engulfing in an aura of flames. The giant took a step back, shocked and afraid off my sudden transformation. That fear soon faded away and he prepared for another swing. I put a surge of energy around the spear, creating a swirling flame-like aura around the spear's tip. As soon as the behemoth swung, I charged and thrusted the spear. My spear and his axe made contact, and the force of my strike instantly shattered his axe. My spear kept moving and landed in the middle of the Renegade's chest. Upon impact, Nicholas burst into flames, roaring into anguish. I saw his health bar slip into the yellow, then the red, until it was completely empty. With one final roar, the "jolly" beast burst into shards of red and green digital shards.

I breathed in and out heavily as I felt the skill deactivate. A moment later, a sign appeared. "_Congratulations on defeating the boss. Item received_." A small blue orb with golden bands around it appeared just in front in my face and gently floated towards the ground. I put out my hand and it softly landed. I could feel the joy swelling up inside that all my hard work had paid off. I just stood there for a moment, still finding it hard to believe that I had actual done it. Then, I press the orb to open the description. Then my heart sank.

"_Revival Orb. Revives target player within ten seconds." _That was it. I put everything I had into training in the past eight months and all it only worked in ten seconds?! I just dropped down to my knees, devastated by my discovery. To dismay, it seemed I still lost.

"NOOOOOOOO!" I screamed as loud as I could, tears streaming down my faces. I pounded the ground, trying to let out some of my fury. However, I just knelt there, crying... knowing that I had lost Sachi for good.

I picked myself up and walked to the area where Kirito and Klein were. They were sitting there, breathing heavily. I saw some dropped weapons, but none of Holy Dragon Alliance. But I didn't care about what had happened to them. I just wanted to leave the forest.

Klein noticed me after a moment. "Daniel!" He was happy when he saw the orb in my hand, but that soon went away as he saw my desolate face. I tossed the item to him, which he caught with a confused look.

"That's what I have been striving for during the past eight months." Klein opened the description, scanning it quickly. Then his eyes widened.

"Ten seconds?" He looked at me. I extended my hand to him, and Klein tossed the orb back to me.

"I'll see you guys." I started to walk away. Before I left, I felt a hand on my shoulder, pulling me back slightly to stop me.

I turned and was surprised to see Kirito looking at me intensely. "Daniel, I know that you have been through a lot. I know that I can never truly understand the magnitude. But, you have to stay strong. You have to go on for her."

I removed his hand off my shoulder and began to walk away. "I know. Though I'm not sure if I will be the same." Saying one last goodbye, I walked to the nearest town and teleport to Myugen.

In my room, I poked at the orb on my desk. The more I stared at it, the more I hated it. I stood up and grabbed Sachi's spear, which was leaning against the desk. I held it so I could break the orb, but I hesitated.

_It should be simple. I just have to break this worthless item. So why can't I do it? _I thrust the spear forward, but I knew that it impaled the desk two inches to the right of the orb. I just sat down and breathed heavily, but wh? Was it the anger that I could break it, or the anger that I would never see Sachi again, or hear her sweet voice.

Suddenly, a notification alert sounded. I opened my menu and just stared at the message in confusion. _One new item? _I opened the bag and saw who had sent it.

I shoot out of my chair again in total surprise. "Sachi?!" I pressed on the item and a small device, which looked like two pyramids touching each other base to base, dropped into my hand. After realizing it was a message player, I pressed the small square button. The device started to light up with a yellow light and hovered just inches above the desk, rotating slowly.

[Merry Christmas, Daniel.] Sachi's voice lightly rang throughout the room. I knocked the chair over while trying to steady myself due to the shock.

[By the time you hear this, I'm guessing I'll be dead. How to explain it...] _What? Why should she have to explain __anything? It was my fault.__  
_

[To tell the truth, I never really wanted to leave the Town of Beginnings. But, if I kept feeling like that, I'll probably die someday. And it's no one's fault. It's my own problem.] _But you still might be here had I not failed._

[Ever since that night, you've continued to tell me that, each night since, that I won't die. If I'm killed, you'll probably blame yourself, so I decided to record this. I never was able to truly understand you, though I wanted to know you more. We were all just level 20s. And you are the renowned Phoenix Knight, the famous solo from the front lines. But, you still decided to join us. I thought hard about why that was. Why did you care so much? Though I never truly was able to comprehend why, I believed it was just who you were.]

[Though I don't know why, I was relieved you joined us. You had a... radiance that made us shine brighter and made us believe that our dreams could be made reality. Especially me. So, even if I die, you keep living okay? Live to see the end of this world, and to see why it was born... THe reason why a weak girl like me ended up here... And the reason you and I met. That's what I want you to do.] I had no idea what to think... So, I just stood there, stunned at the unseen strength from Sachi.

[There's still plenty of time left. Since it's Christmas, I'll sing a song.] She started hum a tune. I recognized tit easily. She was scared like anyone else, but she was able to accept that and sing. When she started, I couldn't help but sing along to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. After about a minute, Sachi stopped singing, leaving me in tears.

[I am so glad that I met you, Daniel, and that I could be with you. Thank you. Goodbye.] With those last words, the player's light faded and the device fell onto the desk.

I felt the tears begin to roll down my face. Sachi knew that she wasn't going to make it. She sent that message to comfort me once she was gone.

"Sachi... I am so sorry. You trusted me, but I let you and all your friends be killed... I wasn't strong enough... I broke our promise." I was weeping, and some of my tears were falling onto the resurrection orb. Suddenly, a bright golden light shone from the item. I stopped crying as the light faded. The small orb was till there, but instead of being blue, it was now a bright flame red. _What the-? _I quickly grabbed it and opened the description. [Phoenix Tears. Revives any target player.]

"WHAT?!" Any target player?! But how? I tried to think about what had happened. "Well, I know phoenix tears are known for its legendary healing powers, but...

That's when it hit me... I was the phoenix. My last name, Fenikkusu, meant phoenix. Also, I was wearing Phoenix Armor. THose two things must have triggered the change. And I knew who would allow such a thing. _What is your game, Akihiko Kayaba?_

I held the Phoenix Tears directly in front of me, then gave my command. "Let me see, Sachi." Fire began to pour out of the orb and quickly coavered the room. I closed my eyes, expecting to be burned.

However, I couldn't feel the scorching heat. I didn't even smell smoke. I opened my eyes and say nothing but darkness all around me. "Where am I?" Had Akihiko made something like a dead storage for the game's unused memory?

"Daniel, is that you?" I turned around and there she was... Sachi. I was instantly overwhelmed with joy.

"Sachi!" I ran towards her and tried to hug her. Unfortunately, my arms went right through her body. Where my arms had gone through, a blob of binary code temporarily replace her image.

Sachi stepped back a bit. "What are you doing here? Don't tell me that you died."

After I processed what had just happened, I answered her. "I came to bring you back to the game, Sachi."

She looked at me confused. "But that is impossible. Sword Art Online has no means of resurrection."

I smiled at her. "There _were_ no means." I showed her the Phoenix Tears and quickly explained what had happened earlier."

After being shell-shocked, Sachi spoke up. "So, that orb will be able to bring me back to the game?"

"Akihiko Kayaba wouldn't make a fake item like this. This will bring you back to SAO. But, I am not going to force. You can choose what you want to do."

Sachi bent her head down slightly, thinking over the choices. I simply waited, knowing that she was about to make a life-altering choice. After a few moments, she said, "I'm sorry, but I can't go back."

I was slightly shocked. I though she would have wanted to go back. "I respect your decision but may I ask how you came to it?"

"I want to go back, but I really do. But, I would be the only one among my friends to return. I don't think I could live with myself for leaving them here. I can't leave them behind."

"Alright, I can't force you to go back. It was good to see you again." I tried to turn to leave, but Sachi grabbed my hand. It surprised that, unlike when I tried to hug her, she was able to hold on.

"Daniel, one last thing?" Sachi put her hands behind her back, swayed back and forth a little, then smiled. "Please don't feel any regret." The weight of those five words hit me like a wrecking ball. I lost my balance for a moment from the sheer shock.

"W-What?"

"Please don't feel any regret. Me... Keita ...my friends... we were all trapped her, in this game. Our actions dictated what happened to us, not yours. I couldn't go on knowing you will continue to blame yourself. So please, do not burden yourself with the past. Do not fight because of what happened _to_ us. Fight _for_ us."

I was speechless. I was on the verge of tear. _Sachi, you have grown strong_. "The last few months... have been a living nightmare. I fought any monster I could... I tried to help anyone so that they would not be put in harm's way... I boosted my level... my stats... my skills... all to the highest I could. All of that for one task: to prevent anyone from experiencing what I did. And as a way to see if I could get you back. Maybe the real reason I did that... was to deceive myself and continue to blame myself. But, you grew, where I couldn't. And now, you broke all the chains that were holding me back. I thought that you would have blamed me for back then, and yet you accepted what had happened. Maybe that's why I starting to fall for you."

Sachi was speechless for a moment, wide-eyed with surprise. "I always thought that you were the strong one. I thought, 'Why would someone from the front lines care for those behind them?' But... you saved me. You didn't brush me off. _You_ helped me face my fears. That's why I started to fall for you as well."

I went up to hug her. Unlike the first time, I was able to hold her in my arms. Sachi hugged me back. We had a wonderful moment of silence. I let go of her and took a step or two backwards.

"Thank you, Sachi. You helped me finally drop the chains holding me in despair. Goodbye."

Before I could turn around, a new voice rang out in the blackness. "STOP!" Almost instantly, the other members of the Moonlit Black Cats guild appeared behind Sachi.

I quickly moved next to Sachi. "Keita, Hiro, everyone! What are you guys doing here?"

Keita laughed. "I could ask you the same thing. We overheard the conversation between you two. "

Hiro interrupted Keita. "So, we came here to talk to Sachi."

Keita, sighing at Hiro, walked over and held Sachi's hand. "Sachi, for the collective whole for the Black Cats, we want you to go back to Sword Art Online."

Sachi couldn't believe what she heard. "B-But, what about you guys?"

Our old leader placed his hand on Sachi's shoulder. "You are strong, Sachi. We want someone to carry our memory. And who is better than the best, strongest, as well as the kindest member of our guild."

"But, what if I mess up?" What if I am not as strong as you think I am."

"You _are_ that strong. We all believe in you."

I patted her on the back. "Besides, I will always be there for you. Every step of the way."

Sachi looked at me, smiling and blusing. She was on the verge of tears. "Daniel... everyone." Then she started to cry. "I truly have the best friends!"

I moved so that I stood in front of Sachi. "I'll ask again." I held my hand out to her. "Will you come with me to SAO?"

She wiped her tears away and answered as she took my hand. "Yes."

I turned back to Keita and my friends. "I am glad to see you all again. I guess this is goodbye for now. You guys are the best. Let's meet again, in the next life."

Keita smiled. "Yeah, I look forward to it. Also, I am sorry for blaming you back then. You did the best you could, and I shouldn't have been angry at you."

I returned his smile. "It's alright. We were both overcome by our emotions."

Keita let out a sigh of relief. "See you guys!" He and my other friends started to wave at us.

I quickly waved at them, then returned my gaze to Sachi. I held out the Phoenix tears in my left hand, which Sachi rested her other hand on. I took a deep breath before I gave the command I had been waiting to say for a long time. "Resurrect Sachi." Red flames rushed out of the orb and covered Sachi and I. After a few moments, the flames receded back into the orb. Fulfilling its purpose, the Phoenix Tears broke apart into digital fragments and disappeared.

I quickly noticed that I was in my inn room, standing in front of the desk. "I made it back." Then, I noticed that I was no longer holding Sachi's hand. I was about to panic, until I turned to the bed. I sighed in relief; Sachi was sleeping peacefully in the bed. She looked like a calm angel, and it warmed me up knowing that all my hard work had not been for nothing. To top it all off, she had a full health bar.

I grabbed the chair so I could sit next to the bed. I lightly tapped her shoulder to wake her up. She slowly opened her green eyes, looked at me, and smiled. She held up her hand, and I took it in mine. We both moved and hugged.

"I'm back," She said.

"Welcome back, Sachi. Merry Christmas."

She looked me dead in the eyes and smiled. "I love you, Daniel."

I returned her gaze and smiled back at Sachi. "I love you too."

* * *

YES! All is right again. I have to thank Not-with-a-whimper-but-a-BANG for such a brilliant idea. I loved to write this chapter, and I hope that you guys like it as well! Next chapter will be a special chapter, and I think you guys and gals will enjoy it. I will try to get that chapter out as soon as possible. Until then, see you next time!


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